Plan advisors now have an easy-to-use “toolkit” — a set of customizable messages to clients and participants, banner ads and more — to help spread the word about the critical need to protect American workers’ retirement savings. The toolkit is part of the “Save My 401k” effort launched Nov. 26 by... READ MORE

According to research involving DC plans with over $6 billion in assets conducted on behalf of advisors by Chatham Partners — famous for their provider win/loss studies — 81% of plan sponsors sought advisors through referrals, with very few responding to cold call solicitation. An average of five... READ MORE

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), the three-year decline in participation rates precipitated by the Great Recession halted in 2011, as 54% of full-time workers age 21-64 participated in their employers’ retirement plans. When part-time, seasonal and self-employed workers... READ MORE

In today’s world of instant gratification, it’s no wonder that workers value short-term benefits the most. According to a worldwide study of more than 10,000 workers conducted by Mercer, a salary increase was preferred over all types of benefits. While saving for retirement may seem to some like... READ MORE

NAPA and ASPPA have launched the Save My 401k campaign to protect the tax incentives of employer-sponsored retirement plans from the threat of tax reform. The goal: to educate members of Congress and urge them to preserve those tax incentives.“The single most important factor in determining if a... READ MORE

At the second TRAU Group Study Session, where more than 40 C(k)P candidates gathered recently at Transamerica’s downtown Los Angeles headquarters, advisors and industry professionals were asked the same questions as the C(k)P candidates who gathered in Boston a month earlier — questions related to... READ MORE

Using data from Denmark, an academic researcher showed that tax breaks for retirement savings have little effect on how many people save, especially those with lower incomes. As reported in a New York Times blog on economics, the researchers used Danish data because it was more detailed and because... READ MORE

Though the market rebounded last week, investors pulled out of equities, according to a Lipper report for the week ending Nov. 21. It may have been the threat of the impending fiscal cliff that caused the largest weekly outflow of money from mutual funds and ETFs since late July. On the other hand... READ MORE

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday — initially because I liked watching too many football games, eating too much turkey and doing nothing without feeling guilty about overindulging. Later it took on a different meaning — a time for me to reflect on what I’m grateful for.I’m grateful... READ MORE

The Wall Street Journal has reported that ING has been given more time (subscription required) to sell its U.S. groups as part of a deal worked out with the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm. When ING took the Dutch equivalent of TARP money in 2008, they agreed to divest some... READ MORE

From a plan sponsor’s perspective, which plan providers are doing the best job? A large number of respondents to the just-released 2012 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey indicated a decline in satisfaction with their 401(k) providers. Overall satisfaction is down across 22 of 23 categories of... READ MORE