Retirement benefits

Retirement plan advisers must rethink how they work and get paid, according to benefits attorneys and industry insiders.

Broad in scope, the final DOL ruling favors plan sponsors, but also puts pressure on them to adjust to new industry realities.

Retirement plan industry experts are greeting the Department of Labor’s plans, which will force employers to be more cautious when hiring advisers, with a mix of caution and optimism.

Some advisers are calling it the most sweeping regulatory reform of the retirement industry in 76 years.

New calculation methods and benefit expectations will leave employers needing plan-design help from advisers.

Employees are uneasy about their finances and organizations that prioritize year-round benefits education are at a competitive advantage, finds MetLife’s Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study.

Plan sponsors can improve the health of their plans and participants’ retirement outcomes by embracing roll-ins, yet the process remains difficult and costly for workers.

Advisers can help employers pay close attention to these items to avoid catching the eye of the DOL.

New calculation methods and benefit expectations will leave employers needing plan-design help from advisers.

While benchmarking 401(k) plan investments and fees is important, new research suggests employers and their advisers aren’t doing enough to measure workers’ retirement readiness.