Wealth management

As active employees move into a retiree population, health care decision-making also changes. Some companies provide a subsidy to the retiree population for purchasing health care on their own, but the tracking of that subsidy and the associated premiums create stress on an already overworked HR department.

Benefit brokers say employers are more and more looking toward financial wellness programs to assist employees saddled with increased health care costs.

A passive portfolio management approach is appropriate for many 401(k) plan participants and individual investors. But indexing isn’t right for everyone.

Knowing the client, using the best medium and avoiding industry jargon are a few ways to discuss retirement plans with clients.

Third-party administrators need to use a variety of methods to ensure employers supply the correct data.

Thanks to new cost-of-living adjustments, the Internal Revenue Service is allowing the American workforce to save a bit more in their retirement plans next year.

Employer clients acting as the fiduciary of a benefit plan may often seek the advice of their trusted adviser. ERISA recognizes that need but also disallows the misuse of an expert. So what qualifies as misuse?

Volatility has returned to the equity markets with a vengeance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fluctuated by hundreds of points on many recent trading days. During these times your 401(k) plan participants can become very nervous.

With companies granting over $110 billion in equity each year to employees, the stakes are very high for employers to demonstrate a strong return on investment from their equity compensation plans. And yet, there appears to be a disconnect in how these companies and their employees perceive equity awards.

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 has helped to reduce costs and limit liabilities for multiemployer plans. But the landmark legislation will sunset at the end of the year, which has many stakeholders and consultants predicting future retirement uncertainty for the more than 10 million participants in multiemployer plans across the nation.

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear Tibble v. Edison International, a case in which the plaintiffs contend their ERISA plan fiduciaries breached their duty of prudence by offering higher-cost retail-class mutual funds to 401(k) plan participants, even though identical lower-cost institutional-class mutual funds were available.

With more confusion swirling in the employer 401(k) market – not to mention an American workforce with staggeringly low retirement confidence – advisers and consultants recommend employers play a bigger role as a fiduciary when considering administration fees and investment education.

Commentary: On Friday, September 26, Bill Gross, the portfolio manager of the PIMCO Total Return Bond Fund, left the company for another job. Many financial advisers, including me, believe that his departure is a positive for the Fund and PIMCO. Why is this important to you as a retirement plan sponsor?

The American Benefits Council has introduced its strategic plans for health and retirement policy, providing 46 specific regulatory recommendations for Congress to consider in easing the burdens on employees, employers and government agencies.

Offering financial education can provide a big boost to employee productivity, allowing employees to solve financial dilemmas and refocus on work.

Group annuities are common among 401(k)s because they appear to be cost effective, turnkey options. However, careful due diligence will reveal they are big aggressors when it comes to fees that hinder portfolio growth.

Despite great strides in retirement security, some lawmakers and benefit leaders see an opportunity to revisit tax policies that could help incentivize all Americans to save more as they plan their exits from the workforce.

A recent alert from the Securities and Exchange Commission emphasized how easily and quickly false information can be spread via social media by market manipulators who may be posing as legitimate or trusted sources of information. Plan sponsors may want to communicate this information to their 401(k) plan participants.

A new Senate bill calling for an amendment to a controversial section of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act is expected to save employers and plan sponsors $15 million over the next decade, according to new estimates.

Commentary: Open enrollment time means employer clients will be reviewing fee disclosures. Columnist John Ludwig discusses several steps plan sponsors should take when reviewing the disclosures for accuracy and to determine if fees are fair and reasonable.