Benefits Think

Having people shop for medical care the way they shop for cars or stereos might be ideal, in some ways. But it is not attainable as long as the shoppers are human beings.

Most 401(k) plans offer a money market fund which may be the most popular fund in the plan. Traditionally a place to seek refuge when the markets become stormy, money market funds may be altered significantly as a result of Securities and Exchange Commission reforms.

401(k) plans are largely outscoring 403(b) plans in some key plan features, writes The Principal Financial's Aaron Freidman, who equates this to a pre-season football game.

As many of you may have predicted – or secretly feared, or even hoped for – October has indeed been one incredibly wild ride for anyone connected in even an ancillary fashion to the ACA. Or those of you who happen to have anything to do with the daily operations of the federal government.

There are pitfalls to stepping out of a 401(k), mostly related to the lack of truly objective advice regarding other retirement investments.

Guest blogger Robert C. Lawton offers five reasons why rolling 401(k) assets into an IRA isn't in employees' best interests.

Finally, America the Ordinary – those folks more interested in “Duck Dynasty” than their health care benefits – has been absolutely bombarded with a non-stop barrage of mass media headlines actually focused on their health care insurance.

Recently John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard mutual fund group, said that future retirees face a looming disaster because Social Security is going broke, DB plans are underfunded and participants aren't contributing enough to their 401(k)s. Here's why he's wrong.

It seems like an ideal opportunity to consider what you as an employer or an HR professional can realistically do to help stem the next tragedy. As you know, there will probably be more.

For those who have taken the time to read through the model exchange notices recently released by the Department of Labor you may have noticed some glaring issues with the questions, writes UBA CEO Thom Mangan, who helps provide some clarity.