Retirement benefits

Three reasons why all benefit consultants need to get into the retirement business by The Guardian’s Stephen Davis.

John Ludwig on the hidden plan costs of lost participants in retirement plans due to fee disclosure and Q2 to-do list

Most observers agree that target date funds are easier and safer to use for both retirement plan participants and plan sponsors.

In-Plan Life-Time Income Guarantees provide new opportunities for plan participants

Some see a number of signs contributing to a reawakening of the rust belt.

The economic recession may have sparked a retirement crisis in America, but other significant factors played a role in the derail.

Americans living longer means a corresponding uptick in annuity sales.

A number of misconceptions have prevented these entrepreneurs from doing a better job preparing for retirement.

In order to successfully reach their goals employees must begin embracing the concept of Retirement Readiness with the same commitment as their employers.

Property and casualty insurers are voicing concerns that longstanding tax exemptions for municipal bonds could be disrupted as part of a broader U.S. tax-code changes being considered by Congress.

In a scenario where retirement income and wealth account for 100% of an investor’s simulated retirement expenses, a model projects that around a quarter of baby boomers and Gen Xers who would have had sufficient retirement income under interest rates at historical averages would run out of money if the current low rates were taken as a permanent condition.

Making connections is as important as ever, though the process is changing considerably.

Wall Street banks collected $215.6 million that Denver’s public schools paid to unwind swaps and sell bonds since the district began borrowing to cut pension costs in 2008. That sum is about two-thirds of annual teaching expenses.

Detroit may run out of cash next month and must cut costs such as long-term debt and retiree obligations, according to emergency financial manager Kevyn Orr’s preliminary plan to improve services and keep Michigan’s largest city out of bankruptcy.

A real opportunity for advisers lies in the ambitions of Gen X and Gen Y Americans, who aren’t planning on postponing retirement — yet.

Laurence D. Fink thinks U.S. employers should be required to put money aside for their employees’ retirement, similar to Australia’s superannuation system.

The Illinois House of Representatives approved a bill designed to repair the nation’s worst-funded pension system by raising contribution levels for state employees and delaying the retirement age.

According to this week’s 401(k) Performance Survey, approximately 5% of 401(k) plans, or 13,811 plans, stopped matching in 2010, and an additional 2% halted the employer match in 2011.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. climbed in New York trading yesterday after profit beat estimates and the insurer’s margins widened.

INTEGRATING 401(k) PLAN ADMIN, PAYROLL