Retirement

Just under 50% of Americans surveyed by Fidelity Investments, regardless of age, say they are conservative when it comes to retirement savings, the company found in a study.

Two Rhode Island men were charged last week with conspiring to steal the identities of elderly and terminally-ill people to set up investments that reaped more than $25 million in death benefits from insurance companies and bond issuers.

Living more frugally and paying off debt has paid off for one in five retirees — but fewer are looking out to the future to estimate how long their assets will last in retirement.

When it comes to retirement, many middle class Americans said 80 is the new 65 and plan to delay retirement because of worries over money, according to a new survey.

While the number of Americans who claim to be preparing financially for retirement has remained relatively steady during the past 12 months, employees in many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas report feeling significantly less confident than they did a year ago, according to a retirement readiness index released today by Ameriprise Financial. In its second year, they examine the 30 largest U.S. metropolitan areas to determine where consumers are the most prepared for and confident about retirement, and also track national and local retirement trends over time.

In today's BeAdvised, we turn to a former contributor of our sister publication, Employee Benefit News, Karrie Andes. Today, she's writing on two topics that never run short on blogworthy material: Form 5500 and the IRS. Enjoy, and be sure to share your thoughts.

Only 4% of plan sponsors have established goals to engage workers younger than 35 in their defined contribution plans, even though they know the younger generation's participation and contribution rates lag their older colleagues, a survey by Greenwich Associates for Northern Trust finds.

A new survey of small and mid-sized employers finds that two out of three plan sponsors believe the current 401(k) system is effective in helping employees achieve adequate retirement savings, despite recent reports that show employees are often ill-prepared for retirement and not saving enough.

American workers are more worried about keeping up with monthly expenses than saving for retirement, reveals a recent survey. Keeping up with monthly expenses was the biggest financial worry, cited by 21% of those surveyed, followed by saving enough for retirement, which was cited by 18% of employees as their biggest financial concern.

Advisers take note: It’s not a company’s size but rather the demographic makeup of its workforce that influences whether or not it sponsors a retirement plan.