Employer Strategies

A Senate hearing yesterday discussed a bill that creates a non-profit, national organization that would simplify the licensing process for brokers conducting business outside of their state of residence.

Funding for Alzheimer’s has lagged behind other medical issues, advocates say, and the disease is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Without breakthroughs, the number of those affected aged 65 and older will double by 2050.

Consumer-driven health plans are not achieving long-term savings greater than what would be reached by raising the deductible on traditional PPOs, according to the 2012 UBA Health Plan Survey.

International rules designed to make derivative transactions safer by increasing collateral requirements may lead pension plans to take unnecessary risks, according to the National Association of Pension Funds

The Shrinking Emergency Account Losses (SEAL) Act, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), is before the Senate again. The bill, originally proposed in 2011, would give 401(k) participants who borrow against their 401(k) retirement plans more time to replenish their accounts after leaving a job.

A recent academic study examined whether mutual fund companies that act as trustees for 401(k) plans “display favoritism towards their own funds.” Although its conclusions will not shock many advisers, the research can be useful as a source of independent evidence on this important issue, and reinforce the vital role that an independent adviser can play in overseeing plan investments.

Most Investment Committees spend the majority of their meeting time talking about things they can't do anything about.

Officials from IBM, Disney and Air Liquide discuss how to create an effective international benefits strategy.

President Barack Obama named Thomas Perez, an assistant U.S. attorney general, as his choice for labor secretary in his second term. Perez would replace Hilda Solis, ensuring that the Labor Department is led again by a Hispanic, helping the president maintain diversity in his cabinet. Solis resigned in January.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation reports that shifting its enforcement policy away from companies unlikely to default on their pensions benefited about 50 businesses by almost $1 billion since the start of a pilot program announced in November.