Yes, public pension plans are ripe for reform. But overhauling these plans is an opportunity to improve pension design for everyone.

High fees eat away at returns.

The survey consensus was for no increase to slight increase in interest rates for 2012. Nothing dramatic. Very muted. There's no sense that the economy will turn gangbusters. At best, the economy will show modest gains in 2012.

"A steadily growing portion of the workforce will continue to work at least part-time well beyond the 'normal' retirement age of 65," says a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation.

However the Supreme Court decides its ruling will push health-care reform to the top of the campaign debate. Health reform won't go away. The costs of the system are too high. The fiscal, economic and household pressures remain too great. Back to the future won't work.

Middle-aged homeowners should think about adding features that make it easy to age in place with any home remodeling project.

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This is a Marketplace.org Reader

"What goes up must come down" was true with dot-com stocks and the residential housing market. Investors should understand that the same fate lies ahead for corporate profits, argues James Montier of the investment management firm GMO.

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