Retirement benefits

The use of online calculators and retirement advisers has been linked to higher levels of retirement confidence.

In a recent letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, six members of the Congressional Black Caucus warned that if the DOL’s 2010 fiduciary proposal is re-proposed this year without significant changes, the rule “could disparately impact retirement savers and investment representatives in the African-American community,” according to the letter.

On the last day of 2012 the IRS updated the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), published as Rev. Proc 2013-12. The program allows plan sponsors to declare, fix and pay penalties (where applicable) for certain operational or demographic missteps under the “voluntary correction program” (VCP)

Apparently some plan sponsors and even advisers overlook a basic resource when conducting 401(k) enrollment and education sessions: The TPA. “Advisers are sometimes surprised to see a TPA at the meeting,” says Beth Harrington, president of Benefit Resources Inc. in Sacramento. “That shocks me.”

T. Rowe Price, the mutual fund giant, recently completed a study which showed that participants should average 15% in contributions into their 401(k) plan accounts each year to achieve retirement readiness. Approximately three years ago, Alliance Bernstein conducted a similar study which came to basically the same conclusion.

Many 401(k) plan financial professionals have already capitalized on the opportunity in the 403(b) market by leveraging their 401(k) plan skills, and being able to distinguish themselves by being savvy in the dynamics that make a 403(b) plan a little different, says guest blogger Aaron Friedman of The Principal Financial.

If plan sponsors are serious about getting stellar 401(k) participation rates, the evidence is stronger than ever that auto-enrollment is a powerful way to achieve it. More hold-outs are getting the message and considering taking the plunge, although only a slim majority already do.

It was only four short years ago that the banter in our participant education sessions revealed that most employees were in the same mode as the capital markets. In a word, they were dismal. Sounding already defeated, it was common to hear things like “I’m never going to be able to retire now,” and “why bother planning…nothing seems to work anymore”.

With taxes on everyone’s mind, Jerry Kalish offers something to talk about with a prospective client who is thinking about starting a retirement plan.

The ability to provide a balance of risk between sponsor and participant through a hybrid design is drawing interest--even among small employers.

Record for 2012 hit despite de-risking by some plan sponsors, according to Milliman analysis.

The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries is applauding a bipartisan push to make it easier for workers to repay withdrawals they make from their employer-sponsored defined contribution plans.

Capital Group Cos., owner of American Funds, is expanding its investment options and reorganized its equity teams in response to feedback from financial advisers

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, pressed by critics including Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, dropped a plan meant to give pension-cost certainty to local officials that may have left the system unable to pay benefits.

Stable value funds require careful scrutiny in the initial selection phase and on an ongoing basis. A new report offers a comprehensive look at the latest trends, and a helpful due-diligence list to use when you are looking at funds for clients.

Prohibitions against dual compensation for fiduciary advisers haven’t been fully grasped, suggests prominent ERISA attorney Fred Reish.

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System’s $73 billion unfunded liability may be the state’s “most difficult fiscal challenge” and lawmakers should increase funding for the second-largest U.S. pension, the Legislative Analyst’s Office has reported.

Illinois teachers would be asked to choose between pension increase and retiree health under a measure that was adopted by the state’s senate this week. The bill’s impact is a matter of dispute. Illinois’ pension system is the most under-funded state system in the country.

The Labor Department provides more rationale to guide clients to best-in-class asset managers. But consider the case for “quasi-customization.”

International rules designed to make derivative transactions safer by increasing collateral requirements may lead pension plans to take unnecessary risks, according to the National Association of Pension Funds