Retirement

Rising interest rates and a strong stock market contributed to a strong year for defined benefit plans, according to recent research from Towers Watson, with pension plan funding levels rising by 16% last year, the highest level since 2007.

The court agreed with the plaintiff’s contention that while a church-affiliated entity may “maintain” an ERISA-exempt church plan, only plans established directly by a church or convention of churches qualify as church plans.

The past year has seen, at long last, a tremendous rebound for 401(k) accounts and that good news hopefully can help drive better participant engagement. To secure retirement outcomes in defined contribution plans, human resources consulting firm Mercer outlines 10 steps plan sponsors should take in 2014.

From revenue sharing to the effects of inflation on retirement readiness, guest blogger Robert C. Lawton outlines five areas plan sponsors need to pay attention to in 2014.

Retirement plan sponsors should already be well on their way to complying with key year-end regulatory deadlines. Still, here are 9 items to look at to ensure your plans remain compliant into the new year, courtesy of Sibson Consulting.

What does next year look like for retirement plan sponsors and participants? Here’s an early call on what many experts expect to see.

As baby boomers plan to retire in the next five years, nonprofit organizations are readying for the challenges ahead. More than a third of nonprofits surveyed by the Plan Sponsor Council of America anticipate difficulties recruiting staff to fill vacancies left by retiring boomers.

When it comes to taking care of their own finances, it turns out that financial advisers aren’t much better than their clients, an FPA poll finds.

Some 45% of workers in the new survey who found retirement income estimates less than “very helpful” say they did not understand the calculations behind the projections or were not confident in their accuracy, according to LIMRA.

There are plenty of positives in moving your participants into a Roth 401(k), but the costs – and the long-term stability of government promises themselves – may require extra thought.