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Compared with their counterparts from 20 years ago, current 401(k) investors in their 20s allocated a similar share of their total assets to equities, but changed the mix, becoming less concentrated in equity funds and company stock and more concentrated in balanced funds, according to new research... READ MORE
Surpassing industry projections, the number of new cash balance plans adopted by employers increased by 17% — rising to 17,812 active plans — in 2015, the most recent year for which complete IRS Form 5500 data is available, according to new research by Kravitz, Inc., an Ascensus company.Kravitz’s “... READ MORE
Workers nearing retirement face numerous decisions regarding when and how they will transition into retirement, but few employers provide things such as educational resources, information about distribution options, planning materials, ability to make systematic withdrawals, referrals, or an... READ MORE
Many years ago, there was a commercial (for car oil filters, as I recall) that cautioned, “You can pay me now, or pay me later” – in other words, spend a little now on an oil filter, or pay lots later on to fix the damage done by not doing so. It’s a mantra that I’ve heard employed to encourage... READ MORE
A recent survey indicates that while performance is a factor, it’s not the top factor motivating fund changes by plan sponsors. But is that your experience?The Cogent Reports Retirement Planscape report notes that in instances where plan sponsors say they intend to drop or reduce the number of... READ MORE
A survey of larger plan sponsors finds most concerned about the potential participant response to a mandated shift to Roth tax treatment in 401(k) plans.The member survey the Committee on Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA) found that 78% of the 61 member respondents believed that a... READ MORE
David L. Musto has been named as President of Ascensus, reporting to Bob Guillocheau, who will take on the role of chairman in addition to his duties as chief executive officer. Musto will join Ascensus’ board of directors.According to a press release, Musto will focus on continuing to grow the... READ MORE
The fiduciary regulation got another day in court last week – and, for a change, this time the regulation’s challengers appeared to draw blood.The setting was oral arguments before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, with the Labor Department making its case for the regulation challenged by a group... READ MORE
Recordkeepers which offer proprietary target-date funds are finding their share of assets on their own platforms declining as plan sponsors increasingly select funds from other providers, new research shows. This trend comes partially as a result of the expanding array of benefit solutions, such as... READ MORE
The Labor Department has issued a new set of FAQs on the fiduciary regulation that embrace the recommendations made by the ARA/NAPA Government Affairs Committee (GAC) in a recent comment letter.To recap, the 408(b)(2) regulation requires certain service providers to ERISA-governed retirement plans... READ MORE
The Labor Department’s fiduciary rule RFI touches on, but does not yet resolve, a key question.A recent blog post by noted ERISA attorney Fred Reish notes that in the Labor Department’s request for information (RFI) on the fiduciary regulation, the DOL asks: “Should recommendations to make or... READ MORE
Last week the U.S. Treasury announced that it was winding down the myRA program, noting that there was “…very little demand for the program, and the cost to taxpayers cannot be justified by the assets in the program.” This week, NAPA Net readers weigh in.Arguably the news caught many in the... READ MORE
The markets may have been heating up in June, but participant transfer volumes were pretty mild, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index.The gauge, previously (and for more than a decade), was previously referred to as the AonHewitt 401(k) Index, found that June was the lightest trading... READ MORE
Exams of investment advisers by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reportedly could increase by more than 30% this year, according to Pete Driscoll, Acting Director of the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE).Speaking July 27 at FINRA’s National Compliance... READ MORE
The U.S. Treasury’s winding down of the myRA program will cause at least one state-run retirement program to delay its opening.Washington State’s Small Business Retirement Marketplace – which had hoped to be open for business by Labor Day – will be delayed at least a few weeks, according to a... READ MORE
Adoption of simplified features in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s proprietary DC plans, along with making education and other resources more accessible, has fueled steady growth in employee engagement and plan enrollment, the firm reported recently.In Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s 2017 Plan... READ MORE
Consider this quote from management guru Ram Charan: “Seventy percent of strategic failures are due to poor execution of leadership. It’s rarely for lack of smarts or vision.” (Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done)Can we draw parallels to the retirement industry? When you consider... READ MORE
The ERISA consultants at the Learning Center Resource Desk, which is available through Columbia Threadneedle Investments, regularly receive calls from financial advisors on a broad array of technical topics related to IRAs and qualified retirement plans. A recent call with an advisor in Oregon is... READ MORE
A new report from the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) contends that leveraging auto features, minimizing money out and helping to eliminate barriers to long-term retirement savings are three key steps that DC plan stakeholders can take to help Americans prepare for... READ MORE
In a sign that the worst of the financial recession is behind us, Americans reportedly are enjoying their highest levels of personal satisfaction since the fourth quarter of 2006, according to the  second quarter 2017 results from the American Institute of CPAs’ "Personal Financial Satisfaction... READ MORE
The Investment Company Institute recently published a list of frequently asked questions about 401(k) plans. Here’s our version of that list.How much money is in 401(k) plans?As of March 31, 2017, 401(k)s held an estimated $5.0 trillion in assets – nearly 20% of the $26.1 trillion in U.S.... READ MORE
Ascensus, already tapped to administer the OregonSaves state-run IRA program, has landed another client.The Dresher, Pennsylvania-based provider announced last week that it had been chosen as Illinois’ preferred partner for its Secure Choice program following a public-bidding process. According to... READ MORE
If you thought June was a hot month for 401(k)s, just wait till you get a look at July.According to the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that the average account balance for younger (age 25-34), less tenured (1-4 years) workers surged by 3.0% in the month of July. The... READ MORE
In an excessive fee suit brought by participants, a money manager is going to have to turn over reports about the performance, expense and profitability of the mutual funds in the company’s 401(k) plan.The plaintiffs in the case against American Century Services (ACS) (Wildman v. Am. Century Servs... READ MORE
Years ago I decided I wanted to move to the nation’s capital because – as I told friends at the time – I was tired of “just” writing about what had happened with retirement policy… I wanted to make a difference.Now that’s not to say that writing doesn’t make a difference – I hear from readers all... READ MORE

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