Retirement benefits

Understanding where employees have gaps in their retirement literacy can help employers craft better education programs.

Commentary: The answers can help determine where an organization needs the most help with its retirement plan, and financial professionals are well positioned to help sort through the complexity.

President Obama’s plan, outlined in his State of the Union address, makes an enormous impact on a declining middle-class as well as the working poor.

Lack of transparency and confusion for plan participants are just two reasons white-labeling 401(k) plan investments is a bad idea.

Altering the health care law is one priority for Sen. Hatch this year, the committee chairman said in a speech outlining his 2015 agenda.

President Obama will use tonight’s State of the Union address to revive previously announced proposals intended both to spur greater retirement savings and to limit retirement plan tax benefits for higher income earners.

In a defined contribution world, cash balance plans continue to gain popularity, study says.

Few plan sponsors have bought into the idea of annually automatically re-enrolling participants in a qualified default investment alternative, such as a target-date fund, as a means of assuring that their assets are allocated in a manner experts would consider appropriate for retirement investing.

Many companies say they will bolster their efforts in 2015 to increase their workers’ sense of financial health, extending their strategies beyond just retirement readiness

Consolidation actively encourages employees to roll in their prior employer retirement account balances to the current plan at the beginning of employment.

Accidents are inevitable and they come in many forms – from minor injuries to life-changing events – and the right accident insurance can be a critical layer of financial protection for many employees.

Commentary: Plan sponsors should not only understand the importance and benefits of fiduciary roles in a sponsor plan, but also understand the positive impact a fiduciary can have, says columnist John Ludwig.

In an attempt to improve retirement savings rates, Illinois becomes one of the first states to enact a retirement savings plan for people who lack workplace access to 401(k) plans.

Plan sponsors continue to invest 401(k) assets in stocks, but employees and other individuals are increasingly seeking investment diversification.

As employers struggle to find methods to get workers more involved in their 401(k) offerings, it's looking that online education is the best route to build engagement.

Corporate pension plans took a hit last year, dropping 9 percentage points. Analysts point to two key factors as cause for the decline: falling interest rates and new, lower, mortality rates.

A clearer understanding of changing demographics can help employers better support their workers in prioritizing savings and income security needs.

Industry experts offer their 2015 benefits predictions.

Last week, the Center for Due Diligence — a staple to the retirement industry — shuttered its Web site following its decades-long run advising industry and leaders.

Welcome to the 5th annual edition of the ABC’s of Employee Benefits. Given the tremendous amount of activity and volatility in the employee benefits space, this version can be summed up in one sentence: Surround yourself with quality, interested, and engaged help or else 2015 will be a very long and painful year.