Financial wellness

When the recently proposed fiduciary rules are finalized there will likely continue to be significant differences between how Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and brokers interact with their retirement plan clients from a fiduciary standpoint.

Many assume that a wealthy upbringing is essential for an early retirement, but recent studies show those who plan to retire early were no more likely to describe their family growing up as wealthy/affluent, or financially comfortable, than people who planned to stay in the workforce longer.

Although 401(k) plan participation is increasing, employees are not actively managing their accounts.

Suffocating under large loans and with little savings, the majority Gen Xers admit being bogged down with uncertainty when planning for retirement.

Trust and education are some of the more favorable characteristics sought in retirement plan providers, as well as key drivers to increasing employee engagement. However, that education is lacking, as most employees have a poor understanding of retirement language.

The recent Supreme Court decision in Tibble v. Edison, though largely favorable to plaintiffs, does contain one silver lining for plan sponsors.

If your retirement plan provider hasn’t yet entered the mobile app market, you could be missing out on an important opportunity to educate your 401(k) plan members.

To avoid breach of fiduciary duty claims in the future, retirement plan sponsors need to reexamine the investment policy statement for their 401(k) plans to make sure they are doing enough to make sure workers’ retirement funds are invested in the lowest fee and best investments possible.

There’s no surprise retirement readiness is a top concern among small employers, with their employees are most at risk – a conversation that took center stage when President Barack Obama unveiled the “MyRA” initiative for employers last year.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision Monday that could have far-reaching implications for how long a retirement plan participant has to sue an employer for breach of fiduciary duty in a 401(k) plan.

A bipartisan bill recently introduced in the House and Senate would require employer-sponsored retirement plans to provide participants with an estimate of how much lifetime income they could expect from their current savings.

The state of Nevada Public Employees’ Deferred Compensation Program chose Voya Financial, Inc.’s retirement business to serve as its single service provider.

When people speak about retirement and security, women often get overlooked, but they are one of the most vulnerable segments of society.

The Department of Labor recently announced a proposed set of regulations about retirement plan fiduciary responsibility. Here are the answers to nine frequently asked questions employers have about their fiduciary duties.

Employer-sponsored defined contribution plans have become the go-to retirement vehicle for the majority of workers in the U.S. but more needs to be done to get employees to not only save but to save more.

Commentary: Do loans and hardships really help solve what the plan was designed to do? Columnist John Ludwig doesn’t think so. In the end, they are a detriment to most participants’ retirement dreams, he says.

April was a better month for the 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans, with their funded status rising to 82.6% from 80.9%.

When saving for the future, many people opt focus on their children’s opportunities rather than their own. The College Savings Plan Network encourages employers to offer benefits options, such as a 529 college investment plan, to help their employees save for their children’s college educations.

Commentary: Many workers prefer to access financial products, including insurance, in the workplace. This intersection of employer awareness and employee preference has created an opportunity for employee benefit advisers, says Prudential’s Lori Fouché.

As U.S. employers move away from defined benefit pension plans in favor of self-directed retirement accounts, workers have become responsible for their own investment and longevity risk in retirement – something they’ve never had to deal with before and don’t understand very well.