Retirement benefits

The Labor Department has sued to restore more than $34 million in assets to two retirement funds of Michigan-based vehicle parts manufacturer Metavation LLC that allegedly were used in violation of ERISA.

Many U.S. employers would like to retain selected Baby Boomers who choose to work beyond age 65, a new survey suggests.

A nearly four-fold increase in custom strategies for target-date fund assets held by 401(k) plans is projected by 2016 compared with the 2011 asset level of $46.4 billion.

With an increasingly youthful workplace come dramatic implications for employee benefits from the standpoint of recruiting and retaining top talent, but the biggest challenge will be tailoring strategies to multiple generations.

More than a third of retirement plan participants admitted that they either “guessed” or “made up” their estimates for how much income they would need in retirement, according to a new survey, while only 30% said they consulted with a professional for help in setting their goals.

Is your workforce going to retire in poverty?

Now, two years since OneAmerica first answered Edward Jones’ request for proposal, the two companies have partnered to offer a new set of retirement solutions for their Edward Jones’ employer clients.

The primary cause of stress, points out James Werner, CEO of Wealth Habit, is finances. With the average employer spending just under 9% of payroll on extended disability absences - most of which are related to stress - Werner believes an increased focus on financial wellness in the workplace has the potential to not only help employees save, but also save their employers "hundreds of thousands, or even billions, of dollars a year."

Private enterprise is limbering up for the 2012 EBN-EBA Financial Fitness Challenge, an online financial-education program sponsored by Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser in partnership with Educated Investor, a provider of financial education products. Organizations of all types and sizes, from Walmart to Woodchuck Hard Cider, are taking part in the Challenge, which began last month.

Most experts are predicting massive consolidation among DC record keepers - with the big push just about to begin, especially with four national record keepers representing more than 100,000 defined contribution plans likely to change ownership in the next few months.

Target-date funds pulled in $13.9 billion in the second quarter despite the nearly 3% loss on average, according to Morningstar.

House Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation that would expand the role of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct oversight examinations of investment advisers, a segment of the financial services sector that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have agreed is under regulated.

One-third of “transition boomers,” those aged 55 to 65 and who are 10 years or fewer away from retirement, are unsure how much money they will need to cover basic living expenses in retirement, according to The Transition Boomers and Retirement Income Survey, from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.

As Americans struggle in the recession’s aftermath to prepare for retirement, those who have taken the time to put together a financial plan feel more confident and report more success managing money, savings and investments than those who have not.

Data collected from the 13th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey makes it clear that the effects of the “Great Recession” have taken their toll on not just retirees, but the unemployed and underemployed as well.

More than three-quarters of plan participants (78%) know it is important to determine how much to save for a secure retirement but only a third claim to have the knowledge to determine that amount, according to a survey released Wednesday by State Street Global Advisors.

According to a recent LIMRA survey, 61% of consumers who worked with an adviser contributed to a retirement plan or an IRA and are saving at a higher rate compared to only 38% of consumers who weren't working with an adviser.

Advisers are more committed than ever to helping clients with their retirement income planning, but they face a host of challenges, including not knowing where to go to build their knowledge of retirement planning.

How are breakthrough innovations created? What is the process and can it be replicated or facilitated? These are the fundamental questions tackled by Frans Johansson in his seminal book, "The Medici Effect."

As new retirement fee disclosures go into effect this summer, a coalition of 15 retirement industry groups are urging the Department of Labor to allow broader use of electronic communication for retirement plan participant disclosures, which are now mailed in paper form to plan participants.