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The Federal Reserve's ‘Operation Twist’ to bring down bond yields and stimulate the economy is likely to cause pain for the nation's largest pension funds, already struggling with funding shortfalls from the recent stock market decline.

Fidelity Investments said last week it added new defined-contribution retirement plans with total assets of $17 billion in the first half of 2011, boosting its position as the industry's largest plan provider.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has released a new Accounting Standards Update aimed at improving employer disclosures for multiple-employer pension plans.

Employers may find new success in influencing employees to make smarter financial decisions. Last week, a program that reaches employees through an employer-based education program announced the results of Investor Education in Your Workplace, and they were hopeful.

Predicting an employee’s future success at a company has traditionally stumped experts, and relying on metrics such as IQ level, only tells 25% of the story. What makes up the other 75%, according to Shawn Achor, Harvard researcher and positive psychology expert, is the optimism that your behavior matters, a positive social support system, and whether you view a challenge as a stress or an impetus to improve.

Many reports indicating that Americans know they don’t have sufficient life insurance have surfaced over the past few months. So, what’s the solution? According to the 2011 Genworth LifeJacket Study, “7 Key Insights to Help Close the Coverage Gap,” Americans have a desire to work with an agent or adviser to understand the role of life insurance in securing their families’ futures. Additionally, 40% of consumers do not believe they have enough life insurance to meet their families’ long-term needs. The study illustrates that financial professionals should change the way they approach their client base and break down the barriers that keep families from obtaining adequate coverage.

Predicting an employee’s future success at a company has traditionally stumped experts, and relying on metrics such as IQ level, only tells 25% of the story. Read what makes up the other 75%, according to Shawn Achor, Harvard researcher and positive psychology expert.

PPACA has been law for 15 plus months and many brokers and advisers consultants are still in denial. Many are acting like nothing has changed. Not for their clients. And not for their businesses either. This is no time to play the ostrich game. It’s survival of the fittest and most adaptable. Our world of benefits has changed and the landscape will continue to evolve. It’s time for a reality check. Change is never easy,…

Follow EBA staff on Twitter and Facebook from our annual summit in Dallas and be sure to check our inBrief for stories from the exciting event.

Us EBNers are heading down to Big D this weekend for the 24th annual Benefits Forum & Expo (Sept. 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas). We’ve heard everything’s bigger in Texas, so we’re ready to wow all of our guests a truly Texas-sized agenda, featuring more content than before to help you rein in your most pressing benefits cost, compliance and communication problems.