Retirement benefits

A solid financial wellness program needs to focus on three big ideas: big data, behavioral science and technology, according to experts at this week’s Benefits Forum & Expo.

Mutual funds continue to be the leading investment choice among self-directed brokerage account participants.

Commentary: Extreme market volatility does not last forever. However, mistakes 401(k) plan participants make by selling out of equity funds at the wrong time can significantly damage their retirement prospects.

Brian Heckert, the new Million Dollar Round Table president, shares the story of how he entered the industry, as well as what he hopes to accomplish and insights on other issues facing the retirement industry.

John Engler, president of Business Roundtable, called on Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to consider changes to the fiduciary proposal.

Commentary: it is particularly curious that the DOL’s proposed fiduciary regulation seems to introduce prohibitions that will likely prevent future modernization of such plans, says The Principal’s Aaron Friedman.

Retirement planning is harder than sticking to a diet and exercise program, millennials say.

Long an afterthought, retirement firms and advisers are pushing their clients to add auto escalation to employer plans.

Defined contribution savings are down but overall wealth accumulation is up.

Transamerica is to become Mercer’s preferred DC recordkeeping provider, which will likely boost Transamerica’s position in the retirement space, experts say.

Consulting firm Mercer is selling its U.S. defined contribution administration book of business to Transamerica. The deal, expected to close by the end of this year, will see Transamerica become Mercer’s preferred DC recordkeeping provider.

Retirement confidence around the world is up, yet only a third of employees report receiving retirement information from their employer.

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul;…

Commentary: As more baby boomers work past the traditional retirement age of 65, understanding how Medicare interacts with workplace health benefits becomes crucial for economic well-being.

Martha G. King, managing director of Vanguard’s institutional group, addresses the evolution of retirement plan education and the challenges of guaranteed annuity products within 401(k) plans.

SMILE Community Action Agency has made a concerted effort in the past year and a half to offer a more in-depth benefits package to employees so that it can become an employer of choice.

Robo retirement firms entering the small-plan 401(k) market won’t replace human advisers, industry leaders say.

Actively managed funds still represent the largest chunk of most 401(k) investment lineups, but passively managed investments have risen in recent years because of fee disclosure regulations, target-date funds and the notion that managed accounts have been unable to beat the returns of index funds.

Commentary: Many plan sponsors believe that just by hiring an adviser they do not have a fiduciary obligation to understand the investments in their plans. This is fundamentally wrong.

Having developed robo platforms for retail clients and advisors, Betterment is expanding further into the asset management industry with a 401(k) offering for businesses. As can be expected from its CEO Jon Stein, the scope is grand as the digital-first firm sees a $4.6 trillion market ripe for disruption.