Financial planning

Many U.S. employers would like to retain selected Baby Boomers who choose to work beyond age 65, a new survey suggests.

Experts who have crunched the numbers on retiree medical cost estimates that factor in Medicare premiums, prescription drugs and the occasional illness project frightening bills – even for healthy individuals.

Redmond, Wash.-based Protingent, Inc. recently marked its 10th anniversary with an employee stock ownership plan to reward employees for their contributions to the technology staffing firm’s success.

A Benefits Forum & Expo panel discussion will examine how several nationally recognized 401(k) plans have raised the bar on plan design, participation and savings rates.

Tod Ruble is trying to sell retirement plan insurance that employers say they do not want and their employees may not need.

Financial literacy is so critically important to working Americans that it can make them more productive and less vulnerable to major economic uncertainty, according to a new survey, but only about half of employers said they provide basic workplace financial education.

Is your workforce going to retire in poverty?

Are health savings accounts simply better than 401(k) plans?

Amid mounting concern about the nation’s savings rate and financial illiteracy, employers face enormous pressure to move the needle on retirement preparedness. One possible solution is to tap the wildly popular gaming trend, which, in turn, can actually help make retirement planning fun and more engaging than traditional approaches to employee education.

The warning signs continue to mount that Americans are not saving enough for retirement – a recent study predicted three in five retirees will outlive their money if they try to maintain their working standard of living, but one financial adviser says most of her colleagues are still doing all the wrong things to help clients avoid this fate.

The Labor Department this week issued guidance on rules requiring companies to disclose 401(k) fees to employees that will be welcome news to most employers. But for some small companies with 401(k) plans, the guidance may raise more questions, experts said.

Private enterprise is limbering up for the 2012 EBN-EBA Financial Fitness Challenge, an online financial-education program sponsored by Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser in partnership with Educated Investor.

When we brought home our NEW cockapoo puppy, Cali, our two older dogs were less than enthusiastic. Our husky, Torik, was patiently annoyed, but our big Akita, Connor, strenuously objected to the rambunctious puppy from the beginning. Cali jumped at Connor's face, chased his tail and ran circles around a dog that was five times her size. In response, Connor barked and growled - we were fearful that he would injure her.

Financial services firms are broadening the scope of their retirement advice tools and planning a major push to help advisers understand them. That’s the key takeaway of an industry survey by Hearts & Wallets, a research firm that tracks retirement income trends.

Target date funds, the most popular investment option in 401(k) plans, are increasing their exposure to exchange traded funds (ETFs), which are rarely used in retirement savings accounts.

Worries persist that working Americans aren’t saving enough to afford a life of leisure, but maybe retirement isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

The Department of Labor is looking into whether JPMorgan Chase & Co. violated its fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act in connection with one of its stable value funds.

Employer matches aren’t as strong an inducement to get employees into the 401(k) plan as you might think, according to Brigitte Madrian, professor of public policy and corporate management in the Aetna Chair at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

The health care trust affiliated with the United Auto Workers named a former Stanford University official and Hewlett-Packard Co executive to manage its $54 billion in assets earmarked for retiree medical benefits.

Advisers are more committed than ever to helping clients with their retirement income planning, but they face a host of challenges, including not knowing where to go to build their knowledge of retirement planning.