An Investment Company Institute study released last month, “Who Gets Retirement Plans and Why, 2011”, found that nearly three-quarters of those likely to save for retirement have access to a retirement plan through their employer or their spouse’s employer. Of that group, 93 percent participate.... READ MORE

At the annual National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators (NAGDC) conference in San Diego, Phyllis Borzi, head of DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, opined that public plans should follow private plan disclosure rules even though she has no jurisdiction over... READ MORE

Female wealth managers now manage an average of 5% more assets than their male counterparts, according to Fidelity’s 6th annual Broker and Advisor Sentiment survey. Behavioral finance research shows that women take less risk than men and are more realistic, while men tend to be more confident and... READ MORE

By Timothy D. Rice Our industry is notorious for churning out large reports for investment committee meetings that, for all intents and purposes, are thrown by the wayside an hour or two after the committee meeting. For our firm, the decision to “go green” in other aspects of our business was an... READ MORE

Now that plan sponsors realize that 401(k) plans will the primary vehicle that most of their employees will rely on to finance their retirement, a recent survey by Towers Watson outlines how behavior has changed — especially regarding plan design, communication, fees and retirement income. Though... READ MORE

It’s campaign season — do you know where your proposed regulation is?The pending regulation from the DOL that would expand the definition of investment advice and fiduciary status with respect to retirement plans has disappeared down a rabbit hole that magically appears in Washington every four... READ MORE

As you may have heard, there’s an election coming up in about a month. In a video shot just before the first presidential debate, NAPA’s Executive Director and Washington insider Brian Graff explains his take on the presidential campaign as it enters the stretch run, the likely political balance in... READ MORE

Speaking at an industry conference years ago, Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger — who grew up in the 401(k) world — noted that there are three types of 401(k) providers: market leaders, market followers and rule breakers. Clearly casting Schwab as a rule breaker, Jim McCool, Schwab’s COO (and Bettinger’s... READ MORE

Participants’ concern about their retirement is growing, according to the 4th Annual 2012 DC Participant Experience Study by KK & Company and Greenwald & Associates. To address that concern, participants prefer more proactive steps to increase their retirement readiness and provide them... READ MORE

Momentum. Championship-caliber sports teams have it. In politics, victorious candidates have it.And in the retirement industry, NAPA has it. Barely a year old, we’re now nearly 3,800 members strong, and growing daily. We have the support of 67 institutional partners. That makes us one of the... READ MORE

Mitt Romney’s reference to the divide between the 47 percent of citizens who don’t pay income taxes and those who do may not be as important the pension divide, between those few who have a guaranteed cushion in the form of defined benefit pensions. How the candidates address this divide, cultural... READ MORE