Financial planning

U.S. employees’ confidence in their ability to retire comfortably continued to rebound last year. However, despite growing satisfaction with their financial situation and fewer employees reporting significant declines in retirement savings, many employees remain concerned and are taking steps to get their financial houses in order, according to a new survey by Towers Watson.

A new Nationwide Financial study shows three-quarters (74%) of women small business owners expect their business to be negatively impacted in 2012 by the economy. Just one in five (22%) think the state of the economy will improve and one third (34%) expect their sales and revenue to decline.

The New Year is a good time to communicate to employees that the maximum annual participant contribution to 401(k) plans has increased, says one retirement plan expert.

Birds of a feather flock together, and it seems the saying also rings true for small business owners looking for a financial advisor. According to a new study released yesterday by The American College, small business owners prefer to speak to financial advisors of the same sex, with men exhibiting a stronger gender bias than their female counterparts.

The Republican Party has staged a mind-numbing 18 presidential debates this year, and more questions and answers lie ahead as the primaries and general election get into high gear in the new year.

As someone who has reviewed hundreds of retirement-related studies, I admit to being quite jaded with respect to retirement statistics: Various versions of "people are not saving enough", with no one telling me what I do not already know. However, I have to admit these figures - excerpted from pbs.org - caught even me off guard. See if you are as shocked as I was by these five statistics:

For once, it’s the whippersnappers who are behaving more wisely. At least when it comes to saving, Generation X and Generation Y workers are more diligent than their peers.

The Insured Retirement Institute Friday responded to the Federal Insurance Office’s request for comment on how to modernize insurance regulation in the U.S., saying that the nation’s insurance regulatory system needs to be modernized — and insurance products, most notably annuities and other insured retirement income products, need to be made available to underserved populations.

The 11th quarterly Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll found that near-retiree baby boomers have pushed back initial plans to retire at age 60, to 66. Additionally, 68% of baby boomers expect to work in some form after retirement, the survey of 1,200 Americans found. Only 11% of current retirees currently work.

Against the backdrop of public policy debates on the gap between rich and poor, a new survey of affluent Americans from Wells Fargo & Company shows that many of the affluent are feeling some of the same deep insecurity felt by middle-income Americans about their ability to retire in comfort.

Americans' trademark optimism is intact, at least in regard to retirement, despite the economic turbulence that is reportedly forcing many people to work longer and make do with less. In fact, many retirees found only one downside.

Not only are older American workers (age 50 and over) expecting to work longer, but many now say they expect to never retire, according to the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. Data suggest the trend may be tied to the recent economic recession.

As the effects of the recent financial crisis continue to spread across the globe, financial stress is an issue for both women and men.

Traditionally, 401(k) investment menus have consisted of core asset classes such as U.S. stocks and investment-grade bonds. However, defined benefit plans have relied on a much broader range of asset classes and have historically outperformed defined contribution plans, says Bill McDermott, head of defined contribution services at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Retirement planning almost always starts with one number: A guesstimate of the percentage of pre-retirement income you're expected to need after you retire. That's called the "replacement rate" and is often pegged by industry experts at around 80% of a household's earnings.

We all talk about it. We all mean to do it. But redesigning your retirement plan with the needs of women and minorities as a priority is something that takes things most of us just do not have in our quiver of resources - time, money for the match or employer contribution, staff and the data to know what the issue really is for your population so you can make a difference.

Retirement plans collectively - but unwillingly - hold billions of dollars that plan sponsors have unsuccessfully tried to distribute to former participants.

Just under 50% of Americans surveyed by Fidelity Investments, regardless of age, say they are conservative when it comes to retirement savings, the company found in a study.

Two Rhode Island men were charged last week with conspiring to steal the identities of elderly and terminally-ill people to set up investments that reaped more than $25 million in death benefits from insurance companies and bond issuers.

Living more frugally and paying off debt has paid off for one in five retirees — but fewer are looking out to the future to estimate how long their assets will last in retirement.