It’s harder than you think to spend down your 401(k) account in retirement

At a recent conference, retirement experts concluded that the lack of an easy drawdown mechanism in 401(k) plans was the major challenge facing the 401(k) system. In 2014, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued guidance that made longevity annuities accessible to 401(k) plans and that enabled target date funds to include annuity contracts either as a default or as a regular investment option. But individual plan sponsors feel under siege by lawsuits and see little payoff to being innovative. At the same time, Congress is unlikely to mandate that annuities be a part of 401(k) arrangements. So we are at a standstill. Millions of Americans — having been told that their retirement plans are automatic

• 4 Questions to Ask About Your New Employer's 401(k) -- The Motley Fool

  The Motley Fool
• Can You Guess Which Workers Are Least Likely to Participate in a 401(k)? -- The Motley Fool

  The Motley Fool

‘Nothing To See Here’ - Frackers Ignore Rising Well Decline Rates

The Permian basin is starting to see decline rates from shale wells accelerate, a trend that could be the result of too much drilling. Shale wells suffer from steep decline rates. A rush of output occurs at first, but almost immediately after the well

Gold hovers near lows, investors wary about U.S. rates

Gold prices were little changed on Monday, failing to gain support from a weaker dollar as investors digested sharp losses in the previous session and worried about further U.S. rate hikes. Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,256.89 per ounce at 0951 GMT, having on Friday touched its lowest in just under two weeks at $1,254 an ounce and registering its first weekly decline in four. U.S. gold futures for December delivery fell 0.2 percent to $1,262.50 per ounce.

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  Commodities Daily Forecast – August 7, 2017

  FX Empire
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  PRECIOUS-Gold prices steady at near 2-wk low on firmer dollar

  Reuters