With so many factors unknowable, planning for retirement is perilous

Preparing for the unexpected is typically the most vital responsibility of financial advisors working on clients’ retirement plans. Why is it so hard?

As Anne Ackerley, a managing director at BlackRock framed it for attendees at SourceMedia’s In|Vest conference: “You don’t know how long you’re going to live. You don’t know what your expenses are going to be, particularly your medical expenses. You don’t know what the rate of return is going to be in the market.”

Ackerley discussed some of the ways planners can address the unknowable.