Wealth management

BB&T Bank’s institutional division has added a fixed-annuity option to its 401(k) product, which is called ClearCourse. It’s a Genworth fixed annuity guaranteeing its buyers lifetime income stream.

Twenty-three percent of middle-class IRA remained undecided in October about converting to an IRA, according to a study by First Command, a financial-education firm.

Legg Mason recently announced it has formed the Legg Mason Retirement Advisory Council, comprised of 14 industry leaders who will meet quarterly to discuss major challenges facing retirement products, service provides and best practices.

The economy might be making a slow return to health, but for many baby boomers, that upturn cannot happen fast enough.

According to a new LIMRA’s Guaranteed Income Annuities report, women buy six of every 10 immediate annuity contracts, a significant chunk of the $250 billion annuitization market.

The likelier an event, the less profitable it is to insure. So when MetLife backed out of selling long-term care insurance, it sent a signal that the risk of needing expensive medical care in old age has increased.

College savings funds have slashed fees this year, Morningstar reports, making them worth another look. Nebraska's College Savings Plan and plans run by Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and Vanguard all cut fees this year.

Imagine this: An entire generation of investors has accumulated a significant amount of investable cash, but was too apprehensive of the stock market, of advisers, and of the potential costs, to know how to invest the money.

Surprisingly, most Americans showed understanding of diversification, asset allocation and dollar-cost averaging, while flunking basic questions about other financial concepts in a survey for Northwestern Mutual. This discrepancy is consistent with findings in a 2006 study.

Assets in U.S. exchange-traded funds rose to $924.9 billion as of Oct. 31 - its highest level on record - up $39.9 billion or 4.5% during the month.

A new study by Hartford found that 69% of women respondents boosted their understanding of retirement benefits, up from 56% last year.

One of the benefits of the recession is that the constant coverage of the economy has brought retirement savings and retirement benefits into better focus for many Americans, The Hartford Financial Services Group found in a survey of 1,000 adults, conducted by Zeldis Research.

Average balances in 529 college savings plans fall far short of projected higher education costs in most situations, according to Morningstar’s latest research paper and industry survey, released on Monday.

Nearly 20 years after they were first introduced, exchange-traded funds remain unfamiliar territory for many investors.

My kids are typical little ones — giant bundles of id who want everything they lay their eyes on. Usually toys and candy. Occasionally though, they’ll ask for something they’ll never, ever use.

Remember when employees blamed you in part for their financial troubles? Well, don’t shoot the messenger, but maybe it is.

The latest Issue Brief from the Employee Benefit Research Institute offers good news and bad news. The good news: We’re all living longer! The bad news: We’ll all run out of retirement savings long before we die.

Which of these is the most eye-popping statement? 1. There is hostile, intelligent alien life on other planets that may try to conquer and colonize Earth.

You’ve likely seen the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Perhaps you’ve even played along at home, chucking to yourself and thinking, “Sure, it would be nice to have, but I’m glad I don’t need a million dollars.”

I read an article in today’s USA Today that profiled several entrepreneurs who financed their business ventures with funds from their 401(k) accounts.