Retirement

While it's not trending highly on Twitter, the hashtag #rothiramovement is hot in the personal finance Twitterverse right now.

Most marketing executives at Wall Street firms believe that new regulations governing the financial services industry will go a long way toward helping banks, brokerage houses and investment banks improve their reputations.

Americans who use the services of a financial professional are significantly more likely to have taken steps toward preparing for retirement than those who do not, finds the first quarterly results of a Principal Financial Well-Being Index.

Over the past two years, fees charged by financial advisers to new mid- and large-market defined contribution/401(k) clients have been shrinking at an alarming rate. This decline is driven by a number of factors. As with many other trends, it is likely that deflationary pricing will move downmarket. More than ever, it is essential that advisers clearly define their value proposition to employers and participants who, for the first time, will be able to easily determine what they are paying as a result of the new disclosure regulations - or risk being commoditized competing on fees.

On July 1 - when fee disclosure regulations go into effect - there may be questions about advisers trying to reduce their fees. They should keep in mind that in some cases a plan sponsor's ERISA counsel may perceive that action as an admission of guilt that previous fees may have been excessive or unreasonable.

In its annual retirement confidence survey released last year, the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 20% of workers intend to retire at a later age than they had planned. Of those who said they will retire later, the main reasons cited were the poor economy, a lack of faith in Social Security or the government, a change in employment situation or, simply, that they can't afford to retire.

Seventy may be the new 60 — but not where the Internal Revenue Service is concerned. People who turned 70-1/2 last year must begin taking required annual withdrawals from their tax-deferred retirement accounts no later than Friday, a reality many older workers weren’t aware of. Employers can help fill the education gap.

Creating an adequate amount of income for individuals to live comfortably in retirement will require a combination of several income producing strategies, as well as knowing what constitutes realistic and "safe" withdrawal rates from retirement plans, according to a new issue brief by the Institutional Retirement Income Council.

EBN Associate Editor Lisa V. Gillespie sat down with Gerald Wernette, director of retirement plan services for Rehmann Financial, to discuss multiple issues facing retirement plan sponsors today, including the obligation to provide participants with financial education and how to give those education programs tailored relevance to employees across all life circumstances.

More Americans are feeling optimistic about their retirement savings, according to a new survey.