Most Millennials are seeking financial advice — but the way it’s delivered matters, according to a new survey. The majority of respondents (55%) to TIAA-CREF’s annual “Gen Y Advice Matters” survey said that their first choice for receiving financial advice is face-to-face, though that number... READ MORE

It's common for professionals to not take their own professional advice. So when it comes to preparing for retirement, especially succession planning, it's not surprising that as few as 1% of financial advisors have a succession plan. Michael Kitces dives into what may be causing the problem and... READ MORE

The ERISA consultants at the Columbia Management Retirement Learning Center Resource Desk 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 New Jersey is representative of a... READ MORE

A new survey indicates that a growing number of plan sponsors are at least thinking about more customized investment options for their DC plan menus. Still, according to preliminary results from the Towers Watson 2014 Defined Contribution Survey, only about half of the 457 U.S. large- and... READ MORE

Participant balances lost a little ground in September, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). For individuals in the EBRI/ICI database during that month, the average account balance slipped 0.5% for participants ages 25-34 with 1-4 years of tenure (and consistent... READ MORE

The way to move forward in promoting retirement saving is not to dismantle the 401(k) and employer-based system — far from it. Rather, we should continue to refine the system and expand coverage and participation. That was the message conveyed by Mark Iwry, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the... READ MORE

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the Tibble v. Edison Int’l case, it was announced Oct. 2. One of the many “excessive fee” cases being pursued through the federal court system, Tibble arose in California and was the subject of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision last year.   The... READ MORE

Another of the so-called “excessive fees” cases has been tossed by a federal appellate court. In Santomenno v. John Hancock Life Insurance Company, No. 13–3467, 2014 WL 4783665 (3d Cir. Sept. 26, 2014), the plaintiffs had argued that, as a service provider to their 401(k) plan, John Hancock was a... READ MORE

A new survey examines the career paths of independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) and the attributes of the profession that attract talent into its ranks.  The Schwab RIA Talent Study examined the top reasons advisors selected a career in the RIA profession and what drew them to the space... READ MORE

Most of the discussion these days is about outsourcing investment fiduciary duties under ERISA section 3(38), which transfers full discretion or limited discretion to the co-fiduciary under section 3(21). But more and more advisors are looking at transferring administrative fiduciary responsibility... READ MORE

Though markets averaged a 7.45% return from 2004-2012, unfunded liability of public pension funds tripled — to just under $2 trillion — over that same period, according to a recent Moody’s report. Along with trying to recover from the recent recession, public entities are simply not... READ MORE

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of NAPA Net the Magazine. To view a PDF version of this article, CLICK HERE.It’s your turn, and you draw a card. Perhaps it says, “Proceed to Go.” Or maybe it says “Free Parking,” the space where a game piece sits in limbo, waiting to move to... READ MORE