Private equity is being villainized in the retirement debate — even as it provides diversification and outperforms public markets long

America is in the middle of a retirement crisis. Seventy percent of retirees are worried they don’t have enough money and wish they’d started saving earlier. Even worse, 30% are considering going back to work, because their savings could soon run out. At a time like this, both current and future retirees are counting on their investments paying off.

In August, President Trump issued an executive order that helps savers by expanding Americans’ access to private markets through their 401(k)s, making an asset class that’s long been used by public pension funds and wealthy families more easily available to everyday investors if they so choose. If you were to rely solely on media coverage in recent weeks, however, you’d be left with the impression that expanding options for families and worker