Wealth management

President Barack Obama’s $3.99 trillion fiscal 2016 budget proposal echoes and expands on much of what he presented during his State of the Union address last month, from expanding sick leave to enhancing training and providing some free access to community colleges.

President Barack Obama is dropping his proposal to tax the earnings on college savings accounts, responding to criticism of an idea the White House announced 10 days ago.

The tool, designed to help covered employees find doctors, understand health care finance, and meet health goals. is being piloted JPMorgan Chase and will expand to a select number of U.S. employers in 2015.

Several of the proposals outlined in the President’s State of the Union address may change how employers plan their strategies on wages, sick leave and child care, as well as how employees prepare for retirement.

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums grew more slowly in 31 states and the District of Columbia between 2010 and 2013, following passage of the Affordable Care Act, but they still grew more quickly than household incomes.

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

A set of tax proposals issued today by Rep. Chris VanHollen (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, may lay the foundation for Democratic employee benefit-related legislation this year and beyond.

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.

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.

Employers offering mass transit benefits should make note of recent changes to the allotted amount employees can take out pre-tax, a provision included in the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 which was signed by President Barack Obama on Dec. 19.

The DOL for 2015 has appointed five new members to its ERISA advisory council tasked with investigating and advising the Obama administration on subjects affecting employee benefit plans.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for dieters and exercisers. The start of a new year is an ideal time for retirement plan sponsor to assess the effectiveness of their plan. Virtually all plan sponsors have areas that are ripe for improvement.

2014 brought increased emphasis on retirement plans as employers are offering more engaging tools and creating a more holistic view of benefit offerings.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear the Tibble v. Edison case in 2015, which promises to be a landmark ruling for the corporate retirement space.

Low cost, no minimum investment and daily trading are reasons for their increased use over the past 10 years.

Historically, financial planners have advised that retirees could expect to derive their retirement income from three sources: Social Security, corporate retirement plans and personal savings. That might not be the case anymore.

The IRS has issued new guidance amending the safe harbor explanations for notices that plans must provide to recipients of eligible rollover distributions, offering benefit advisers and their employer clients some clarifying guidance on how to proceed with communications.

While it’s on the DOL agenda for January, many in the industry anticipate additional postponements before the new rule is released.

Employers looking to amplify their employees’ retirement prospects might look to the growing individual retirement account field, as involvement in employer-sponsored retirement plans remains largely unchanged.

While 401(k) plans may not be the perfect retirement plan vehicle, they do have a number of important attributes that most probably take for granted.