Retirement benefits

Scheduling on-site training, attending webinars and preparing yearly checklists are among the best ways employers can fulfill their responsibilities, says benefits lawyer Carol Buckmann.

The Insured Retirement Institute is urging Congress to enact a host of policies that it says will boost retirement security.

Employees can simplify their retirement portfolio by merging multiple accounts.

Clients should embrace auto-enrollment, automatically increase employee contributions each year and continually educate workers about 401(k) benefits.

Firms should embrace technology, target communication efforts and help younger employees pick the right health plan.

The Florida Education Association is urging the state body that manages pension funds for its members to sell its holdings in companies that make a semi-automatic rifle.

The new tax law has extended the grace period for outstanding 401(k) loans made by workers who switch jobs, luring more participants to borrow from their accounts, exposing them to greater risk.

Plan sponsors should limit the number of fund selections, provide more fixed income choices and offer index options.

– Airline pilots, still resentful over pensions yanked away in a wave of industry bankruptcies, see growing company profits as a chance to reclaim some of those lost benefits.

Taxation of retirement plan distributions and Social Security benefits remains unchanged under the new tax law, but retirees are likely to see an increase in after-tax income.