PIMCO announced Oct. 30 that it has hired Virginie Maisonneuve as its new global head of equities, replacing Neel Kashkari, who left the company at the beginning of the year to pursue a political career. Maisonneuve was formerly head of global and international equities at London-based global asset... READ MORE

Many DC plans are going through dramatic changes that promise to greatly improve participant outcomes, with new features like auto-enrollment, auto-escalation and stretch matches. As a result, most participants are ending up in managed investments. But what about employees who may be stuck in... READ MORE

Conventional wisdom says that interest rates will rise, so it makes sense to move away from long-duration bonds and into equities. That wisdom has played out this year, with flows into stock mutual funds and ETFs reaching $45.5 billion in October and $277 billion for 2013 -- both of which are highs... READ MORE

Creating an Investment Policy Statement seems to be an accepted best practice by most plan advisors. Are "Education Policy Statements" the next wave? Performance of DC plans could be improved more by people simply saving more and optimal plan design than by selecting better performing funds.... 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 Minnesota is representative of a common... READ MORE

No matter how sound your social media strategy is, things can potentially veer off into a ditch. It’s important to have a predetermined plan in place for unexpected social media mayhem, even if you never need it. You don’t want to be confronted with a digital disaster that requires response and be... READ MORE

Mining the audited 5500 reports of the largest DC plans (accounting for about 80% of assets), BrightScope recently released its list of the top 20 international stock funds. International funds have become a favorite in DC plans looking for diversification, with funds tending to have less... READ MORE

In a letter to the SEC, the lawmaker who helped create broker-check called for tightening of rules on expunging broker records and payment of arbitration awards. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) asked SEC Chair Mary Jo White to look at strengthening rules promulgated 20 years ago to make it more difficult... READ MORE

With the creation of NAPA in 2011, plan advisors who want to bring about change rather than react or complain have a group that speaks for them and a way to engage with Washington. The first step in the process of engagement is understanding the issues and the people in Washington who have the most... READ MORE

According to research by Transamerica, there’s good news about company matches. Among those companies that suspended or curtailed their match, almost half have reinstated it, but in a more thoughtful way. Many are employing a “stretch match,” which might give 30% of 10% rather than 50% of 6%.... READ MORE

As reported in Investment News, the days of large recruiting bonuses paid by wire houses may be over, as Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch have reported a slowdown in giving big recruiting bonuses. These bonuses escalated after the recession, creating what Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman calls an... READ MORE

According to analysis and research by Alicia Munnell of Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research, changes in Social Security have made the effective retirement age 70. Given longer lifespans, that age may be appropriate. But the changes may hurt workers who are forced to retire and take... READ MORE