Retirement benefits

Peter Gordon explains why the company doesn’t offer a traditional annuity product within 401(k) plans and the importance of offering plan sponsors a neutral investment platform.

Advisers should understand the impact of interest rates and other investment principles to help make these plans more effective, says Mike Clark of Principal Financial Group.

Those who adapt to the new environment will gain market share and maintain high profitability, says one expert.

Everything has a price. As fiduciaries, plan sponsors are tasked by the DOL to ascertain reasonableness on the payments they make to third-parties, says John Ludwig.

It’s not uncommon today for retirement to last 20 or 30 years. And yet, more than half of all working-age households are inadequately prepared for retirement, says Prudential’s Christine Marcks.

Everything has a price. As fiduciaries, plan sponsors are tasked by the DOL to ascertain reasonableness on the payments they make to third-parties, says John Ludwig.

Workers need help understanding how and why to prioritize contributions to a health savings account.

Advisers can assist employers in promoting the benefit, offered to low- to moderate-income workers who put money in a 401(k), 403(b) or IRA plans.

Understanding retirement plan administrative requirements, including those around audits and service providers, is essential.

Health savings accounts help workers save for healthcare expenses in retirement. Employees who are eligible to contribute to an HSA should max out those contributions before putting money away in their 401(k) plan, says retirement plan consultant Robert C. Lawton. Here’s why.

Employers can play a huge role in promoting the benefit, which is offered to low- to moderate-income workers who put money away in a 401(k), 403(b) or IRA.

The Alameda County Community Food bank in Oakland, California, works with SimpleFi to offer workers a unique financial wellness benefit.

Cynthia Loh, head of Betterment for Business, discusses benefit trends in advance of the firm’s panel discussion on the future of work.

User-friendly websites and technologies in use by firms such as Charles Schwab and Transamerica are easing retirement planning.

Many plan sponsors and providers may need to rethink the direction they’ve been heading. What’s worked in the past may not work going forward, says BlackRock’s Anne Ackerley.

They’re a ‘great resource' to ensure employers keep up with compliance obligations and know where they stand, says The Principal’s Aaron Friedman.

The plan includes discussion of auto IRAs, state-run 401(k) plans and personal IRAs that would be available to Americans through the workplace.

User-friendly websites and technologies in use by firms such as Transamerica and Charles Schwab are easing retirement planning.

Professionally managed accounts can play a role in helping employees be better prepared for retirement, yet many workers don’t have a good understanding of how they work.

As President Obama prepares to release his budget proposal that is expected to include a provision to expand retirement coverage among small businesses, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to help participants take their 401(k)s with them when they change jobs.