Retirement benefits

There are more ways for defined contribution plan participants to gain access to professional investment management than by defaulting them into target-date funds or using a separately managed account.

Retirement assets in the U.S. jumped to nearly $25 trillion in the first quarter of 2015, a 1.3% jump from $24.6 trillion at the end of the year.

Not only are 403(b) retirement plans diversified, but the average cost of offering them is slowly decreasing.

What kind of employee takes advantage of the chance to select from potentially thousands of investment options available through a 401(k) brokerage account?

Plan sponsors can choose from three outside providers: Mesirow Financial, Morningstar Associates and Wilshire Associates.

The DOL’s proposed definition of fiduciary advice remains worrisomely broad, according to financial and legal experts who are calling upon the industry to flood the DOL with letters of concern about the rule’s possible implications.

Plan sponsors’ loyalty to their retirement service providers is slightly down year-over-year, presenting an opportunity for advisers to advocate for their clients.

Known as Explanation No 9, the document is to be used in conjunction with Form 8387, Worksheet 9 – Determination of Qualification and Form 8399, Deficiency Checksheet 9.

Student loan debt and jobs that don’t offer 401(k) plans put added pressure on retirement savings for millennial workers.

OneAmerica announces plans to buy BMO Financial Group’s Milwaukee-based U.S. retirement services business.

Friday’s landmark ruling on gay marriage poses both challenges and benefits to employers.

Women more likely than men to take advantage of workplace financial wellness programs, yet still experience more financial stress than men.

The funded status of local and state pension plans rose slightly from 72% in 2013 to 74% in 2014, in part driven by a rising stock market over the past five years.

Commentary: The term ‘fiduciary’ is often hard to define and can be interpreted in many ways, so it begs the question: How can plan sponsors best fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities in the context of a mandatory distribution program?

The majority of investors still believe in the American dream but many workers do not have a written financial plan to help them achieve their retirement goals.

The average mutual fund investor typically underperforms the indexes each year by a wide margin. What can 401(k) plan participants (who comprise the majority of mutual fund investors) do to keep from sabotaging their annual returns?

While they have become a standard option in most employer-sponsored retirement programs, how much do participants really know about glide paths and real TDF performance?

With strategic federal-level assistance for retirement still lagging, states including Illinois, California and Oregon have stepped in with their own automatic IRA plans to boost employee savings.

The public has until July 21 to submit comments on the proposal that would expand the fiduciary standard to thousands of brokers and advisers who provide retirement investment advice.

There are a few factors holding plan sponsors back from offering many of the tools that have been shown to increase retirement plan participation and outcomes.