Retirement readiness

Academic and non-profit institutions need a new strategy for today’s changing needs.

During that first 10 years of our 40-year careers, most of us contribute very little or nothing to our retirement accounts. At that time in our lives, retirement seems pretty far off – but it isn’t.

Starting small, with financial checklists and cash flow worksheets, can have a large impact on plan participants.

Ten states and one city have already taken steps to offer government-facilitated retirement programs.

During that first 10 years of our 40-year careers, most of us contribute very little or nothing to our retirement accounts. At that time in our lives, retirement seems pretty far off – but it isn’t.

One may have lots of disposable income, while the other may have to rely on taxable distributions.

A company that employs 10,000 people can save $500,000 a year by getting employees on a more sound fiscal footing.

Employing a range of learning methods, moving the participant to action, and measuring the impact of program initiatives can lead to long-term success through easily understandable information.

Kentucky, Louisiana and New Jersey are among some of the least-appealing places for employees to spend their post-work years, thanks to low scores in affordability, health-related factors and overall quality of life.

Recent IRS guidance and legislative changes show hardship withdrawals is an area where both plan sponsors and participants may still have questions.

The rise in student debt, increased life expectancy and the many competing priorities for money that are considered the “new normal” for younger generations have them wondering how they will pay for it all.

Reasonable costs, healthy account balances and a high percentage of employee participants are attributes of great retirement plans.

Durham Public Schools institutes Financial Fitness program to boost employees’ financial acumen.

Durham Public Schools institutes Financial Fitness program to boost employees’ financial acumen.

HSAs can address future costs, they’re triple tax-free, integrate with existing plans and can boost employee recruitment.

Workers who want to make their retirement portfolio resilient to market volatility should veer away from core stock and bond holdings.

Historical simulations show that the value of investing in these accounts is getting an average of 1.7% in additional earnings.

Franklin Templeton’s Drew Carrington sounds off on why plan sponsor reluctance to try something new is problematic for employees.

Franklin Templeton’s Drew Carrington sounds off on why plan sponsor reluctance to try something new is problematic for employees.

Plan sponsors can help find retirement accounts with the help of “auto-locate,” a technology that creates links between record-keeping systems and establishes a virtual database of all employee records.