New York-based BlackRock has launched the BlackRock Retirement Institute, or BRI, a thought leadership platform that will help advisors and investors make better retirement planning decisions.
BRI will generate practical guidance for institutions, policy-makers, advisors and the global community, focusing on issues such as health care, financial readiness, public policy and technology.
“Retirement and longevity are fast emerging as the central financial and societal challenges of our era,” said Chip Castille, BlackRock’s global chief retirement strategist, in a statement. “We believe these challenges can be met and overcome with innovation geared toward transforming how individuals plan for and live in retirement. To that end, BRI aims to bring together many of the best minds from a range of disciplines to generate new knowledge and ideas that can help support meaningful retirements for individuals worldwide.”
Bruce Wolfe, currently a member of BlackRock’s Global Retirement Strategy Group, will serve as BRI’s executive director. Before he was at BlackRock, Wolfe served as managing director for Allianz Global Investors.
BRI’s global research agenda includes topics like retirement financial security, the design and delivery of 401(k) plans, behavioral finance, fiduciary standards and longevity issues.
The institute will also provide commentary on retirement issues and trends and participate in BlackRock-sponsored events.
With more than $4.7 trillion under management, BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager. The firm reports that two-thirds of its assets are retirement-related.