BenefitsPro has taken flak lately for our syndicated news and the "biased reputation" that's manifested due to political coverage.
I'd be remiss not to admit the Associated Press has been relegated before to a political mouthpiece. But AP has long been regarded in the journalism industry for its due diligence to facts, not motive.
The reality for editors is that it's hard—almost impossible—to avoid the partisan trench that has clearly dissected politics, economic values and media credibility. Even our most objective editorial discretion can't dispel the inflammatory response that's almost inevitable on all sides.
Recommended For You
If this editor has learned anything from Netflix's CEO it's that anticipatory action based on consumer or reader predictability is a risky mindset, and I believe BenefitsPro has to be better than that.
But if your idea of an agreeable person is someone who agrees with you, chances are you've already made the decision to stop reading.
Now, because this is a retirement blog, I'll get to the relevant topic…
If I have to align myself with a stance, it's to advocate that there's a need for something better – in politics, in health care, in the ways citizens represent themselves, and in retirement planning.
And it's not just me. It's a hoarse cry from people who haven't even retired, but already are convinced a workplace retirement plan or any "Wall Street reform" isn't enough. They're content to stick their money in a mattress than trust any institution. Just look at a new survey from Allianz Life Insurance Co., which shows nearly 30 percent of respondents haven't even started saving, and 27 percent of those who save say the mattress is the safest place.
If that's the mantra, then we're no better than we were at the turn of the last election, and it's a big leap to guess we'll improve much in the next decade or by the hand of the next president, GOP or otherwise.
Reform's a loaded word. It's not as menacing as "legislation" or as trivial as "fix," and its mixed connotation has plagued the Obama administration since Dodd-Frank. There are obvious paths doomed for disaster (as seen with ASPPA and other expert warnings on tax changes for retirement plans.) But if we can, for just a second, get past the blame, maybe we can work out a compromise.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
