Most Americans in the dark about their pensions
A Fidelity Investments survey released on July 28 found that a majority of Americans do not understand how their pensions work.
Ruthie Ackerman
Editor
Research shows too many choices, inadequate education impairs participants’ 401(k) decisions
When individuals are faced with too many options, they become paralyzed and don't make the best decisions – even when it comes to 401(k) options, according to a new study co-authored by Columbia Business School and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Survey: Adviser confidence turns positive for first time since January
Advisers are more confident than they have been since January, but they still report being concerned over the disconnect in the marketplace, according to The Advisor Confidence Index, a benchmark that gauges adviser views on the U.S. economy and stock market.
Employer confidence rises and so do retirement benefits
Employers are feeling confident about their financial futures and that means more new hires, fewer layoffs, and an increase in retirement benefits and reinstatements of certain benefits, according to the 12th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey released Tuesday.
Study: Too many choices impair 401(k) decisions
When individuals are faced with too many options they become paralyzed and dont make the best decisions even when it comes to 401(k) options, according to a new study co-authored by Columbia Business School and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Study: Too many choices impair 401(k) decisions
When individuals are faced with too many options they become paralyzed and dont make the best decisions — even when it comes to 401(k) options, according to a new study.
401(k) account balances rising
More 401(k) participants are invested in single target-date, balanced fund or managed account advisory services, according to Vanguards How America Saves 2011 report.
Sales of combination life insurance products soar
Combination life insurance products, which combine a pool of benefit dollars for covered long-term care expenses, a death benefit for beneficiaries, or both, showed tremendous growth in 2010, with new premium sales soaring 62% to $1.2 billion, according to LIMRA research released June 17.
Americans unprepared and fearful of retirement
What are most Americans planning to do when they retire? The reality is that many dont have a plan, or their plan is to never retire, which may not be an option if they fall ill or cant work for some reason.
Top exec: Cost cutting key to advisory business
The future of the investment advisory industry depends on reducing the cost of doing business, said Mark Casady, Chairman and CEO of LPL Financial, in the opening keynote at the Money Management Institutes 2011 annual convention, held last week in Boston.
Women underestimate their value, don’t buy enough life insurance
Weve all heard the statistics: Women still get paid far less than men and womens work is undervalued by society. But a new survey released by The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company on Friday reported something we may not have realized: women themselves are undervaluing their own work, with potentially devastating consequences.
Life insurance needs to be for the masses
If there is going to be growth in the life insurance market it will be in the mass affluent market, said executives at the 2011 Life Insurance Conference on April 12.
Hedge funds: Not only for the wealthy anymore
Sixty-five percent of Americans do not know what a hedge fund is, according to a recent survey by Thesis Fund Management.
Women gain confidence in investing
More women are going to college and joining the workforce- and now women are becoming increasingly influential in the financial world, according to market research firm Mintel.
Women close gap on life insurance ownership
Women are closing the gap with men when it comes to life insurance ownership, but womens coverage level, on average, is only 69% of mens coverage, according to a life insurance study released by LIMRA.
EBRI: Men more confident, realistic on retirement
The retirement conundrum of how much money is enough is an ongoing battle that impacts both men and women, but one area where men seem to be winning out is retirement confidence, according to EBRIs 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey released last week.
BlackRock beefs up its DC plan business
With regulatory reform bringing a wave of changes to defined contribution plans, retirement plan advisers need to be even more conversant in the ins and outs of legislative requirements and other complexities. Which is why BlackRock is beefing up its commitment to advisers who work with these retirement plans.
Four tips for women helping aging parents
Women are not only becoming more responsible for the finances in their own homes, but they are passing on their knowledge to their own parents.
Are women more risk-averse than men?
A MassMutual Retirement released a study that found women put their retirement assets in target-date options twice as often as risk-based options in the fourth quarter of 2010, while men were just as likely to use a target-date fund as they were a risk-based one.
Employers confidence soars to pre-recession levels
Employers in the private sector are just as confident in the U.S. economy as they were prior to the recession, according to PwC U.S.s Private Company Trendsetter Barometer survey.