Michael Giardina

401(k) and 403(b) plan sponsors – armed with a professional retirement plan adviser – are more likely to painlessly administer and achieve fiduciary needs for participants, according to a new study from the Retirement Advisor Council.

With a divide among employer populations, a new survey meant to kick off America Saves Week finds that savings challenges remain as employees struggle to save what they can, both for their immediate needs and their eventual retirement.

Whether employers are looking to figure out mandated paid sick leave laws in their home state –or multi-state jurisdictional requirements, should their business cross state lines – global law firm Morgan Lewis says that a one-size-fits-all approach can be difficult to pull off.

A large part of the millennial population is still cooped up in their parent’s basements, but more are saying they are growing up by making more financial decisions following their first job. This blooming adult group, however, is missing out on the benefits of protecting their health through voluntary insurance, according to new survey findings from The Hartford.

With a reported 15% increase in wellness incentive spending within their health care plans, corporate employers have their sights set on improving their workforce’s overall health in 2014 through wellness programs for both employees and their significant others, according to a new survey from Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health.

Over the next three to five years, the Affordable Care Act will likely have little impact on the health of the employed population as employers report they will continue to offer health care benefits. However, a large share will find ways to reduce costs through new approaches for the retiree population, according to a new survey from Aon Hewitt.

Prudential Retirement has added a new menu of Russell Investments’ institutional target-date portfolios to its investment offerings to DC plan sponsors.

Employer-sponsored defined contribution plans – the fundamental core of retirement funds for about 80% of the full-time workers in the nation – need some alterations that will help boost plan participation among the part-time workforce and smaller employers, as well as offer better ways for workers and employers to contribute, according to a white paper released last week.

Industry onlookers are saying that the voluntary exemption in the Affordable Care Act will do little to improve dental health across the nation as projections point to federal and health exchanges doing little to lower costs for Americans. However, can private dental exchanges and savings plans help to fill this void?

With the April contribution deadline approaching, Individual Retirement Account holders could be missing out on some valuable investment gains and future retirement income if a new trend uncovered by Vanguard continues.

Baby boomers and Generation X households improved their overall retirement income last year thanks to employer-sponsored 401(k)-type plans and gains from the financial and housing market, new data indicates.

Are Americans accepting ways to cope with ever skyrocketing stress levels that can make them more productive to employers? New research finds that traditional pressures continue to rise and more needs to be done to relieve this strain.

The “retirement crisis” facing America, a phrase coincidentally coined by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, is a growing concern for defined contribution plan sponsors looking to provide a continued source of income to current and future retirees. As a direct result, the New York-based asset management shop said Wednesday that its CoRI Indexes can help to alleviate participants’ fears of running out of money.

As the benefits industry is still reeling from the Affordable Care Act delay, others in the research practice see it as posing a question of whether employers will cut available health care plans in light of the employer mandate.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear arguments over Fifth Third Bancorp v. Duddenhoeffer – a case that questions whether it’s prudent for companies to offer employee stock ownership within 401(k) investment schemes – will be front and center for retirement plan sponsors this spring.

A majority of private company executives say that hiring is still at the top of their “to-do” lists for 2014 despite concerns over the skills available in the workforce, according to a study released by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Is now the time to offer accident or critical insurance along with other traditional benefit enrollments? With the uncertainty facing the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate and the high costs associated with these medical claims, new research from MetLife finds that communication of these voluntary benefits will help with employee productivity and cost savings.

A new analysis finds that company sponsored defined benefit plans –while dwindling in frequency since this generation’s Great Recession - need to do more to de-risk their liabilities in order to pay out retirement benefits to the American workforce.

Cost-effective exchange-traded funds, relatively unknown in the 401(k) market, are now a reality for the 1.3 million retirement plan participants of Charles Schwab’s Schwab Retirement Plan Services, Inc.

A new schedule change ending the twice-a-year premium requirement to large company-sponsored pension plans, orchestrated by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, is expected to be a boon for retirement plan sponsors.