Paula Aven Gladych

The Alameda County Community Food bank in Oakland, California, works with SimpleFi to offer workers a unique financial wellness benefit.

Advisers can work with clients to boost company loyalty with programs that teach female workers about health and retirement plans.

Despite pay equity issues, programs focused on teaching female workers about health and retirement plans boost company loyalty and workplace diversity.

The plan includes discussion of auto IRAs, state-run 401(k) plans and personal IRAs that would be available to Americans through the workplace.

Professionally managed accounts can play a role in helping employees be better prepared for retirement, yet many workers don’t have a good understanding of how they work.

Lack of communication and conflicts of interest are two areas plan sponsors should review when determining whether to change 401(k) plan providers.

The wealth management company launches an online benefit marketplace, seeing an opportunity to serve small to midsized employers that are increasingly looking for health and retirement alternatives.

A Supreme Court ruling in Montanile v. Board of Trustees of the National Elevator Industry Health Plan could have negative implications for medical benefit plans, pensions and profit sharing plans.

Are retirement plan education efforts paying off? Participant deferral rates in defined contribution plans are the highest in years and loan usage the lowest, according to the latest research from the Plan Sponsor Council of America.

As part of its ReTIRE initiative, the SEC will continue to examine the reasonable basis for recommendations made to investors, conflicts of interest, supervision and compliance controls and marketing and disclosure practices.

As plan sponsors become more aware of their fiduciary responsibilities, advisers and investment managers who offer to help them manage some of that responsibility have become more popular.

As the employers and others in the retirement plan industry prepare for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, the Insured Retirement Institute releases its own agenda for 2016.

Defined benefit plan sponsors continued to de-risk their plans in 2015 with lump-sum payouts and group annuity purchases. It was the second most active recent year for annuity purchases, finds new research from consulting firm Willis Towers Watson.

Mutual fund fees in 401(k) plans tended to fall between 2009 and 2013, finds new research from BrightScope and the Investment Company Institute. Consistent with other research, the study also found that fund expenses are typically lower in larger plans.

Plan sponsors are doing a better job of educating 401(k) plan participants about target-date funds, says Vanguard’s John Croke, but there’s still more to do moving forward.

Sitting back and hoping for the best is not an investment strategy, says Matt McDaniel, U.S. head of defined benefit risk at Mercer.

Trying to communicate retirement planning messages during the holiday season is like offering a kale smoothie to someone during Mardi Gras – it might be good for them, but it won’t be widely embraced, says one retirement plan expert.

The small-plan retirement market has been dominated by investment product providers like insurance companies, mutual fund companies and broker dealers. But are RIAs are making inroads?

Retirement plan experts don’t expect immediate effects from the Federal Reserve’s announced interest rate hike but advise plan sponsors to review new 401(k) loans to ensure they reflect the new rate.

Re-enrollment can help existing 401(k) plan participants diversify their investment holdings without having to put too much thought into it.