For households of Americans age 55 and older, LIMRA projects that investible retirement assets will nearly double by 2020, rising to $22 trillion from the estimated $12 trillion in 2010. The projection is based on estimates from U.S. Census Bureau data. One implication, according to LIMRA: two-... READ MORE

Advisors who have undertaken any number of designation or certification exams can attest that a mainstay of multiple-choice test instruction is the admonition to select the “single best answer.” Generally, on those examinations there’s only one “correct” answer, but there are times when the... READ MORE

On a monthly basis, EBRI produces estimates of the cumulative changes in 401(k) account balances — as a result of both contributions and investment returns — for several combinations of participant age and tenure. For individuals in the EBRI database during January, the average account balance rose... READ MORE

The recent Wall Street Journal article reporting that a surprisingly high percentage of Americans are likely to delay retirement is causing a real buzz and highlighting the problem that almost everyone in the retirement industry knows: Most people are not saving enough to retire comfortably. Based... READ MORE

The demise of equity mutual funds is greatly exaggerated if January 2013 is any indication — equity funds accounted for $51 billion of the estimated $90 billion net inflows to stock and bond funds, excluding ETFs. According to Strategic Insight, which used research from ICI and proprietary surveys... READ MORE

According to a recent survey by EBRI and Mathew Greenwald & Associates, more people are expected to delay retirement just to continue to receive employer-sponsored health insurance. In 2003, 15% said they would retire earlier if they had access to health insurance, but that percentage almost... READ MORE

What do Congress and federal regulators have in store for the retirement industry in 2013? According to Aon Hewitt, although health care will get the most attention on the benefits front, retirement issues will get their fair share of attention from federal regulators, including:• Definition of... READ MORE

Historically, investors have demanded higher compensation — usually in the form of higher yields — to lend to a high debt, low growth nation than they would a low debt, high growth one. But as the chart below shows, today’s global bond market reflects quite the opposite. The sovereign debt issued... READ MORE

Americans whose parents set good financial examples are more likely to be among the 62% of Americans who have a financial plan and feel confident in their financial future, a new Genworth survey finds. One important factor: We learn our financial feelings, attitudes and behaviors from our parents... READ MORE

In a thought provoking and insightful piece, noted industry journalist Chris Carosa tackles the controversial question of whether the Morningstar star ratings are useful in predicting performance. If they're not, the almost parochial reliance on these ratings by plan sponsors and advisors is really... 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

Schwab Advisor Services reports an increase in the size of RIA deals in 2012, while the number of deals decreased. The total value of RIA deals increased from $43.9 billion in 2011 to $58.8 billion last year, but the number of deals dropped — from 57 to 45 — led by national firms like Hightower,... READ MORE