Did you catch your collective breath yet, oh retirement industry workers?
The year 2015 packed controversy and court cases into your news feeds.
From the controversy over who gets to set a fiduciary standard and what it should look like, to more court cases than we'd like to see (though there was one particularly moving Supreme Court ruling you might remember), to various crises ranging from pension funding to gender wage inequities, the retirement planning industry has had a busy year.
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Here are six stories of 2015 that we found interesting or just plain memorable.
Tell us in comments below what story or stories you found most important in 2015 and let's compare notes.
#6: Financial Wellness
Financial wellness? Retirement readiness? What's that?
How well we handle our money and prepare for the future financially was a big topic this year, and for good reason. No matter who's doing the studying, the results are the same: Americans aren't going to be financially ready to retire at the age they want to.
And will they outlast their retirement savings? See #2: Gender crisis in retirement.
My top story on financial wellness: 11 benefits to add to your financial wellness program
#5: Mortality Tables
Who knew my college friend's boring actuary brother had so much power? The actuarial tables released, corrected, then re-released by the Society of Actuaries made quite a splash.
Everything has a ripple effect in the retirement industry, and your generation's life expectancy rate is yet another little wave that could turn tsunami-like for someone if misinterpreted.
My top story on longevity/mortality tables: Behind the scenes of the new longevity estimates
#4: Technology
The retirement industry this year saw technology solutions and technology failures, alike.
What comes to your mind when you think of technology? Robo-advisors? Or do you think of data breaches and security hacks?
In the category of technology solutions, many companies were busy rolling out innovations, including Betterment, Schwab, and Vanguard.
In the category of technology failures, quite a few entities suffered data breaches, among them the IRS and JP Morgan.
My top story on technology: For plan advisors, cyber security is the greatest risk
#3: Fiduciary Rule
Who's not following the controversy around the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary rule? To me, it's fascinating watching all the players and the various actions each side takes.
Still, some days (play the violins now), I'm about burned out on posting images of DOL Secretary Thomas Perez. (See above.)
Anyway, the whole swirling and churning of the financial industry around this issue is already having some interesting ramifications as some businesses institute changes to better prepare for what they see coming.
My top story on the fiduciary rule is this landing page (go ahead, bookmark it): DOL Fiduciary Rule
#2: Gender crisis in retirement
See the picture above? That's it.
Much has been written about being female and earning less money than men do.
I just never put that together with being female and someday retiring. And possibly outliving my husband. And my retirement.
Until this year.
My top story on the crisis: $13 trillion retirement gap called a gender crisis
#1: Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling
A huge news story in 2015: Granted, retirement plans and benefits don't immediately come to mind when you think of the SCOTUS ruling on same-sex marriage.
But it has long-ranging effects on individuals, couples, Social Security, and the retirement industry.
My top story on the Supreme Court's ruling: Sponsors welcome clarity in SCOTUS same-sex marriage ruling
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