Following a year in which sales were flat, 2014 could be a big year for variable and indexed annuities in terms of sales and product development, according to an InvestmentNews report. “The tail winds are with variable annuities because of the shift in [capital gains] tax rates,” says one analyst.... READ MORE

Last week’s top five most-read posts on NAPA Net reflected keen interest in tips for plan sponsors in planning for 2014, another delay in the DOL’s fiduciary definition rule, HR professionals’ changing role in retirement plan administration, and two determinations by the Supreme Court in choosing... READ MORE

Look for your next issue of NAPA Net Daily on Friday, Dec. 27. 'Till then, we wish you all the joy and peace of the season. READ MORE

Nearly half of all households that own traditional IRAs report that their IRAs include rollovers from employer plans, according to Investment Company Institute rresearch. Moreover, 85% of those IRA owners rolled over their entire retirement account balance in their most recent rollover. A similar... READ MORE

It looks like the issue of tax reform is fading away, notes Brian Graff, NAPA’s Executive Director/CEO in this month’s Washington Update video. The reason has nothing to do with the retirement industry, Graff notes, but rather potential provisions that would affect corporate America. Some of the... READ MORE

Many employees make sub-optimal decisions when it comes to savings rates, asset allocations, in-service withdrawals and retirement distribution options. The result: Many of them are not even on the path to retirement readiness, let alone retirement-ready.Though past decisions can’t be reversed, DC... READ MORE

The ERISA attorneys at Ivins, Phillips and Barker recommend these four topics for your next investment committee meeting agenda:1. Fees. This is still the No. 1 topic of discussion, as lawsuits against plan fiduciaries (including the $30 million settlement against International Paper) continue to... READ MORE

It’s becoming increasingly common for older workers to move from a career job to a lower-paying “bridge” job prior to retirement, according to a University of Michigan Retirement Research Center study. A big reason for the increase in this kind of “partial retirement”: higher unemployment.... READ MORE

ERISA sets a high bar for fiduciary decision-making, essentially requiring plan fiduciaries to act as prudent experts might be expected to act — not just a prudent person. Similarly, when appointing an employee or officer to a plan committee, there are three critical areas of inquiry, FPG’s Charles... READ MORE