Jessica Toonkel

A majority of small firms questioned in a recent survey say they aren’t prepared to answer employees’ questions about 401(k) fees.

Tod Ruble is trying to sell retirement plan insurance that employers say they do not want and their employees may not need.

The Labor Department this week issued guidance on rules requiring companies to disclose 401(k) fees to employees that will be welcome news to most employers. But for some small companies with 401(k) plans, the guidance may raise more questions, experts said.

Target date funds, the most popular investment option in 401(k) plans, are increasing their exposure to exchange traded funds (ETFs), which are rarely used in retirement savings accounts.

The Department of Labor is looking into whether JPMorgan Chase & Co. violated its fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act in connection with one of its stable value funds.

Target date fund managers are branching out into new products, asset classes and lowering fees as these funds continue to become a predominant investment choice in 401(k) plans, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The business woes of Chesapeake Energy Corp are hitting shareholders hard, including its employees.

The retirement planning industry is asking once again for leniency from federal fee disclosure regulations that take effect July 1.

Regulators are more closely examining companies that serve employers' retirement plans, a sign that there may be harsher enforcement when new fee disclosure rules take effect this summer.

Companies that serve 401(k) plans are asking the Labor Department to reconsider its stance on mailed notification, so that they can save costs by using email instead of regular mail to send information to plan participants. However, the industry also is trying to balance that need with the needs of older workers, who tend to not be as computer-savvy.

The Department of Labor is not going to let push-back from the financial services industry delay its fiduciary rule for advisers who handle retirement plans — but that does not mean the regulation will be out anytime soon.

The U.S. Labor Department has removed a controversial part of its proposed 401(k) fee disclosure rule that would have required retirement plan providers to create a summary document, or "roadmap," of all their fees for employers.

Broker-dealers are up in arms over a little-known provision of the Department of Labor's 401(k) plan fee disclosure rules. Ready why some industry observers say the brokerage industry only has itself to blame.

Broker-dealers are up in arms over a little-known provision of the Department of Labor's 401(k) plan fee disclosure rules.

[IMGCAP(1)] NEW YORK | Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:47am EDT (Reuters) - With investors falling in and out of love with Wall Street at a rapid pace, some financial advisers are finding themselves playing a new role — that of marriage counselor. In general, people don't appear to agree about one of the most critical investment decisions of their married life: How they plan to retire. Advisers say they often find themselves in the middle of financial…