The new Chief Operating Officer at Global Retirement Partners is Christopher Giles, the retirement plan consulting firm announced Aug. 6. Giles’ new role will be to broaden what Global Retirement Partners offers advisors regarding retirement plans, and also to define and execute strategic programs... READ MORE

A few months back, I was intrigued to catch several episodes of “Cosmos,” an updated version of the classic 1980 Carl Sagan series.  Along with the significantly expanded and enhanced visuals and (to me, anyway, generally annoying) animations, the series recounted the work, travails and... READ MORE

With $600 billion in DC assets as of 2013 and 3.5 million participants, Vanguard is a giant in the DC market, but also a mystery to many in the plan advisor arena. Though many plan advisors have their funds in some of their plans, with an average plan size of 1,500 participants, few advisors have a... READ MORE

During the last week of July, the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a panel on retirement security — and shared some interesting perspectives on the state of America’s retirement readiness. Advisors should understand these perspectives, as they could well find their way into future retirement policy... READ MORE

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions has hired Paul Swanson as vice president of intermediary sales and institutional relationship management. This position consolidates areas formerly led by Micah DiSalvo and Bill Feldmaier, both of whom resigned earlier this year. Swanson comes to this position... READ MORE

More than one-in-five retirement plan participants say they don’t work with a financial professional because they think doing so would be too expensive. The survey, which was conducted among visitors to the OneAmerica retirement plan participant website, also found that fewer than half (43%) of... READ MORE

So this year’s estimate of when the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) trust fund will run out of money is 2033, the Social Security trustees reported July 28 — roughly the same as last year’s estimate. There’s just one problem: There is no such thing as an OASDI trust fund.... READ MORE

As the DC market matures, a power struggle is emerging between record keepers and advisors. As the advisor world moves toward fee-based fiduciary plan advisors who are forming teams, some providers are adjusting. But others are stuck in a pre-Great Recession world — even as all signs are pointing... READ MORE

A secure retirement and adequate retirement savings are targets many Americans can attain. That’s the conclusion that Prudential has reached, based on research by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. In its most recent National Retirement Risk Index, the center found that to maintain... READ MORE

As expected, NFP announced July 29 that 401(k)Advisors and RPAG have been integrated into NFP, with Vince Giovinazzo and Nick Della Vedova leading the retirement program there. Separately, it was reported that Fred Greenstein, who had previously recruited advisors for Financial Telesis (FTI) in... READ MORE

Recently, members of NAPA's leadership (Joe DeNoyior, Steve Dimitriou, Jeff Acheson and Lisa Kottler) met with representatives of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to gain insights for a new study the GAO is conducting on the use of qualified default investment alternatives (QDIAs) in 401(... READ MORE

The hybrid model for advisors is growing quickly, especially in the DC market. But will that trend catch on with broker dealers? According to a report in RIABiz, results at Wells Fargo’s independent FiNet indicate that the answer may be yes — although Wells is the only wire house to allow advisors... READ MORE