Benefits Think Revisiting missed or late retirement plan deposits
Commentary: Retirement specialist John Ludwig reviews the consequences of an employers failure to make timely deposits to a participants retirement account.
Financial planning
Urgent need exists for employee education about retirement plan contributions
Although Americans remain concerned about retirement readiness, new research shows many employees have never increased their retirement plan contributions, unveiling a need for better engagement and education on the part of employers and their advisers.
Benefits Think 5 reasons to reconsider active management
We all know how markets have traded most of the time since the 2008 crash. One day everything is moving up in value, the next everything is falling. But things are changing.
Robert C. Lawton
Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants
How diverse savings goals eat away at retirement plan participation
Millennials, Gen Xers and single parents have different savings goals in mind that will require benefit advisers and employers hoping to increase retirement plan participation to target the needs of these differing employee populations.
Despite recession, target-date funds aid retirement plan growth
The expanded role of target-date funds has contributed to increased participation in 401(k) plans, highlighting a retirement plan strategy benefit advisers should be sharing with their employer clients.
How IRAs can help employees prepare for retirement
As employers try to figure out how best to prepare their workforces for retirement, experts in the benefits and investment industries recommend that an individual retirement account either the traditional or Roth version can be a good complement or standalone option for an employees retirement path.
Multinational employers trending toward DC retirement plans
Globally, defined-benefit retirement plans are becoming a thing of the past and defined-contribution plans more widely accepted as the preferred alternative, a trend that could spur inquiries from international employer clients.
Hybrid retirement plans offer pension-styled security
Many companies have frozen their defined benefit plans to new hires. Others have abandoned their pensions in favor of a 401(k) or other defined contribution plan. But not everyone is happy with DC plans because they often leave participants to fend for themselves when most have never had to make investment decisions.
Participant count common trip-up with Form 5500
With the Form 5500 deadline fast approaching, 401(k) plan sponsors should be aware of common mistakes that can easily occur when filing the form.
Auto features, education are powerful retirement tools for cautious under-30 investors
Benefit advisers and their employer clients are in a unique position to help the newest members of the workforce overcome investment fears and prepare for retirement.
Drawdown strategies key in a financial secure retirement plan
Retirees should move beyond the long-held 4% Rule and take into account the full range of financial opportunities and risks they could face going into the golden years.
How employers can help women achieve long-term financial goals
Overall, employers have failed to move the dial on overall retirement confidence levels for their female workforce, despite that demographics dominance in handling their households day-to-day expenses.
Benefits Think The future of retirement plan advising
Learn about how technology can demonstrate the link between volatility and risk in retirement planning a distinguishing factor from other advisers, according to columnist Craig Davidson.
Mercer provides continued engagement in health care, retirement education
Wellness and retirement educational tools are paramount in an ever-changing landscape of employee benefits, and Mercer has taken a unique approach in its newest endeavor, Mercer Benefits U.
Benefits Think Its clean up season for retirement plans do your clients know where to start?
Commentary: This fall will be a time for plan sponsors to take on additional decisions, as many prototypes sponsors are going through the process of getting their documents updated for the upcoming restatement process. While columnist John Ludwig says this is a necessary process for everyone, he shares decisions that plan sponsors should think about as they go through this process.
John Ludwig
LHD Retirement
Same-sex families emerge as most financially prepared
When it comes to retirement savings, no family structure is apparently better prepared than same-sex couples without kids, who reported having $276,200 tucked away the very model of successful workplace savers.
How to leverage ESOP uptick, despite increased scrutiny
A recent increase in formations of employee stock ownership plans, known as ESOPs, has put the spotlight on the combined employee benefit and small business management succession tool that has been in existence since 1956.
How advisers can spur higher retirement savings rates
According to one 401(k) experts poll, employees need to be saving 20% of their earnings for retirement. How they get there is where you come in.
Benefits Think 5 reasons 401(k) IRA rollovers are a bad idea
Many employees who change jobs choose to roll their 401(k) accounts into IRAs rather than leaving them in place or rolling them into their new employers 401(k) plan. Rolling a 401(k) account into an IRA is generally a really bad idea, for the following reasons.
Robert C. Lawton
Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants
Seek financial advice before tapping into 401(k) nest egg
In contradictory fashion, paying off debt was cited as the top reason for taking out a loan from retirement plan savings (46%), yet only 26% of respondents said paying off debt was a good reason to take out a loan.