Americans’ job tenure increased slightly in 2012, but the average stay in a job is still shorter than many assume. The median length of time on the job for American workers in 2012 was just 5.4 years, according to new research from EBRI. Among the report’s findings:• The median tenure for male wage... 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 Ohio is representative of a common inquiry... READ MORE

While about 87% of full-time state and local government employees participate in DB plans, this leaves a significant number who are in DC plans. A lot of those DC participants are higher education faculty and staff, many of whom were given a choice between a DB plan and a DC plan. Also, a number of... READ MORE

Stace Hilbrant, Managing Director and Founder of Chicago-based 401k Advisors, identifies the four most important and effective things he sees the very best advisors doing to help their clients. 1. Focus on 401(k) ParticipantsAfter “surviving” 408(b)(2), 404(a)(5) and the Pension Protection Act and... READ MORE

Now that we’ve put the fiscal cliff behind us, “a bigger cliff” lies ahead, says Brian Graff, Executive Director/CEO of NAPA and ASPPA. “Fiscal Cliff II: The Sequel” will come at the end of February, Graff says, when the debt ceiling is scheduled to be reached and the country will have to either... READ MORE

Esri, a pioneer in geospatial analysis based in Redlands, CA, has applied its “tapestry segmentation” approach (which classifies all U.S. neighborhoods into 65 segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic characteristics) to 401(k) participation and contribution data. The result is a... READ MORE

Hardliners in the House of Representatives argue that America has maxed out on its credit card. But defaulting on a credit card payment only makes a bad situation worse. The idea of defaulting on our debt can only be described as epically stupid — it would have potentially catastrophic economic... READ MORE

Record keeper search activity is expected to increase, according to the latest research from Cerulli Associates. However, RFPs will only serve to benchmark pricing."More than half of plan sponsors have indicated they are likely to conduct a search for a record keeper within the next two years,"... READ MORE

Who are America's fastest-growing class of millionaires? Police officers, firefighters and teachers, Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard noted recently. Doubt it? Then ask yourself: What is the net present value of an $80,000 annual pension payout with additional full health benefits? Working backward... READ MORE

While most DC plan participants are passive investors interested in pre-diversified products like target-date funds and managed accounts, there’s a second, smaller group of more sophisticated investors who want to take an active role in diversifying their portfolios.These “diversify it yourself”... READ MORE

Using annual return data for large-capitalization stocks and corporate bonds from 1926 through 2011, researchers from Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research studied the distribution of historic returns and then used that distribution to determine optimal consumption and portfolio asset... READ MORE

Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of posts by speakers at the 2013 NAPA/ASPPA Summit, March 3-5, 2013 in Las Vegas. Richard A. Weiss of American Century discusses reevaluating existing retirement plans for a potential reboot using target-date products as a default investment option.... READ MORE