Top 10 blogs of 2015
Throughout the year, a number of guest bloggers have provided valuable insights to EBN readers on the complex changes and issues affecting healthcare, retirement and other benefits programs.
Financial wellness
Benefits Think 3 strategies to help reduce employees open-enrollment stress
Healthcare coverage is a significant piece of your employees overall financial package. If your plan doesnt appropriately meet their needs, it can be a source of stress for them throughout the year.
PBGC changes reportable event rules for DB plans
Under new final regulations, which take effect Jan. 1, 2016, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation substantially reduced the reporting requirements for pension plan administrators, sponsors and contributing employers.
Benefits Think Financial advisers: Friend or foe?
Commentary: If you offer investment advice services as part of your retirement package to your employees, make sure you understand what types of products and services your adviser is offering and at what cost.
Marianne Marvez
Innovest Portfolio Solutions
Everything you need to know about robo-advisers
Betterment, Blooom and Captain401 bring new choices to the 401(k) investment advice space. Are they a good fit for your organization?
Everything you need to know about robo-advisers
Betterment, Blooom and Captain401 bring new choices to the 401(k) investment advice space. Are they a good fit for your organization?
Student loan debt hindering retirement savings
401(k) and other defined contribution plan sponsors report high participation rates by millennials; however, millennials with student loan debt are saving at a lower rate.
NFL aims to keep players financially fit
The NFL and the NFL Players Association work together to build a comprehensive wellness program that helps retired football players better transition into a life without football, both financially and emotionally.
More than half of women very concerned about retirement savings
Many women contribute to their workplace retirement plans, but are also are very concerned about not being able to retire when and how they want to, implying that they may not be saving enough to feel secure about reaching their retirement goals.
Employees slow to embrace Roth 401(k)s
More companies are offering both a traditional 401(k) plan and a Roth 401(k) but plan participants are not as quick to embrace the Roth 401(k) as their employers are.
Employers struggle to engage employees in wellness
Many companies have embraced financial incentives as a way to encourage participation in wellness programs, but workers still express concerns about privacy and not wanting their employers to be involved in their health and well-being.
Benefits Think Why 401(k) plan sponsors shouldnt use custom TDFs
Commentary: Theres nothing so wrong with existing target-date fund options that warrant taking on the level of risk that appears to come with a customized TDF series.
Robert C. Lawton
Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants
Transamerica launches retirement plan product for small businesses
Small business owners dont always have the resources or know-how to establish 401(k) plans for their employees.
Benefits Think What’s the right 401(k) contribution rate?
Student loan debt, the need to save to buy a car or home or other priorities may cause many younger workers to forgo 401(k) contributions early in their careers. What can employers do to help them catch up?
Robert C. Lawton
Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants
Benefits Think The IRS wants to pay you to save
Commentary: Current and potential employees (no matter the age) are looking for two of the most popular workplace benefits health and retirement.
Chad Parks
Ubiquity Retirement + Savings
Small employers have new retirement plan option with myRA
Small employers who dont offer 401(k) plans to their employees have a new option with the federal governments myRA program, officially launched today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Obama’s MyRA retirement savings plan goes nationwide
MyRA, the Obama administration's free, guaranteed-return starter retirement account, launched nationwide on Wednesday.
Congress hears testimony on small-business retirement challenges
Several retirement industry experts met on Capitol Hill Wednesday in a continued push to encourage better access to retirement plans for small businesses, championing bipartisan reforms to multiple-employer plans.
Benefits Think 7 characteristics of a successful 401(k)
Reasonable cost, leadership support and an investment line-up that meets the needs of all participants are important attributes of a successful 401(k) plan.
Robert C. Lawton
Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants
Health issues affecting retirement decisions
With some employees forced to retire earlier than expected because of health issues, employers need to reinforce the "save early" message.