It shouldn’t be this way, says a New York Times editorial, but people saving for retirement are looking at increasing risks—both in scope and in number—thanks to the Trump administration.

Why? First off, toward the end of the Obama administration, a rule was passed that would have allowed cities and counties to create retirement plans. Under the Trump administration, the Republican Congress has killed it with a bill already passed that Trump is almost sure to sign.

Next, the Republican House passed another bill back in January that blocks states from creating retirement plans. That was passed back in January, apparently in response to the fact that a number of states have already created their own plans.

While the Senate has yet to vote on this bill, and Trump to sign it, the Times says they would both “be wise to let that measure die,” adding, “If it is enacted, 13 million people—a sizeable portion of the 55 million Americans who don’t have company retirement plans—would be denied access to payroll-deduction individual retirement accounts.”

And then there’s the fiduciary rule. The Department of Labor succeeded after much wrangling with the financial industry to put in place this rule, which would require financial advisors to put their clients’ interests first when advising them on, or selling them investments for, 401(k) rollovers and other retirement transactions.

The rule was supposed to take effect on April 10, but Trump has stopped that, ordering a delay.

So that means that retirement savers will continue to be at risk of getting advice that is not in their best interests. The Times says, “This means that what congressional Republicans and Mr. Trump are doing is looking for ways to line Wall Street’s pockets with the retirement savings of working people.”

This is going to result in “continuing hardship for retirees,” the paper says, particularly since retirees who have no plan at work will continue to be highly dependent on Social Security benefits to see them through retirement—for anywhere from half to all of their retirement income.

And that can be problematic too, since although Trump promised that he wouldn’t reduce Social Security, “his actions so far do not inspire confidence that the needs of current and future retirees are particularly high on his agenda.”

Instant Insights /

Risks on the increase for those saving for retirement

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