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John Iekel

By John Iekel | 4/28/2019
Consistent performance and downside protection are valued more by DC plan participants than funds that seek to outperform the market are, according to a recent report.  Concern over recent market volatility has made participants less confident regarding the performance of their retirement plan... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/17/2019
Technology offers a dazzling array of ever-expanding options for retirement plans and participants. But not everyone is interested in tech. Some recent blog entries suggest ways to heighten the experience, as well as non-tech ways to serve a plan and its participants.  Technological advances march... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/12/2019
The times they are a-changin’. At an exciting – and, perhaps in some ways terrifying – pace. But in order to compete, one must embrace and employ the dazzling attributes and developments of our dizzying age. An April 9 session of the 2019 NAPA 401(k) Summit offered ideas on how to do just that. ... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/10/2019
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) entail much more than mere dollars and cents – they’re also a death, a birth, a morphing, a creating. A panel at an April 9 session at the 2019 NAPA 401(k) Summit discussed some of the nuts-and-bolts aspects of melding two advisory firms into one.  Panelists for... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/9/2019
Mergers and acquisitions are a normal part of corporate life. They bring opportunity, but they also pose challenges – and that applies to retirement advisors as well. “Merging Markets: Effective Advisory M&A,” an April 8 session of the 2019 NAPA 401(k) Summit, was the first of a two-part series... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/9/2019
The digital age means more than just a universe of information in the palms of our hands. It also means that plans and those who serve them have powerful new tools to facilitate and drive retirement readiness. Behavioral economist Shlomo Benartzi, Senior Academic Advisor for the Voya Behavioral... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/8/2019
At the April 7 opening general session of the 2019 NAPA 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas, Preston Rutledge, head of the DOL’s Employee Benefit Security Administration, and NAPA Executive Director Brian Graff reported respectively on what EBSA and NAPA are anticipating in the coming year. Retirement plan... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/8/2019
NAPA Executive Director Brian Graff announced at the April 7 opening session of the 2019 NAPA 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas that the Plan Sponsor Council of America is unveiling a new credential: the Certified Plan Sponsor Professional (CPSP).  Graff, who also serves as CEO of the American Retirement... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 4/8/2019
In his April 7 keynote address at the 2019 NAPA 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas, Jeff Kreisler offered ideas on how psychology affects financial professionals’ relationships with clients. The complexity of money creates challenges, argued Kreisler, who is editor-in-chief at PeopleScience.com and... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 3/28/2019
Sometimes whether news is good or bad depends on one’s perspective. A case in point: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has updated its 2015 report on retirement security and savings in households headed by people approaching retirement age. The updated report contains fodder for optimists... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 3/27/2019
The IRS on March 26 updated its Operational Compliance List for compliance in 2019. The list is intended to help plan sponsors and practitioners achieve operational compliance by identifying changes in qualification requirements effective during a calendar year.  The Operational Compliance List... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 3/25/2019
The Pacific Rim, a place where it’s a bit less unusual than others for new land to explode into existence, is adding to the state-sponsored retirement plans earthquake. Add Hawaii and Washington to the states whose legislatures have or are considering legislation that would create state-sponsored... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 3/22/2019
The Federal Trade Commission is considering amendments to cybersecurity rules that could have an impact on retirement plan professionals.  Earlier this month, the FTC voted 3-2 to propose amendments to the Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information, which became effective in 2003 and require ... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 3/18/2019
Multiple employer plans (MEPs) are not new. But what is new is the attention they are receiving and the possibility that they could be more widely available. A recent analysis offers a look at MEPs and what the results of making open MEPs possible could mean. In “Multiple Employer Plans and Their... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 3/6/2019
Some plan sponsors and administrators “stretch the match” as a way to increase participants’ contributions to their retirement savings accounts. Does the strategy work? A recently released study seeks to find out. Stretching the match is a practice in which an employer sets a higher employee... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 2/27/2019
The IRS has updated the information on its website concerning automatic enrollment.  The site provides basic information regarding an employer’s obligations if it decides to offer automatic enrollment and deferrals. It also discusses automatic contribution arrangements, eligible automatic... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 2/26/2019
The average lifespan now is much longer than it was for previous generations. But that half-full glass has effects beyond the obvious, including challenges and complications for retirement planning – which are the subject of a recent Morningstar analysis. In “How Life Expectancy Affects Retirement... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 2/26/2019
All that stands between a bill establishing the New Jersey Secure Choice Savings Program and its becoming law is the signature of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D).  The state Assembly passed the bill, which calls for the establishment of a state-run retirement savings plan for private-sector... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 2/20/2019
The Oregon Treasury on Feb. 16 filed a notice of proposed rulemaking, including a statement of need and fiscal impact, for a rule that would amend OregonSaves to allow a presumption of employer exemption. The proposed amendments would: Allow OregonSaves officials to use the federal Form 5500 to... READ MORE
By John Iekel | 2/11/2019
Bills before the Oregon Senate would create a statutory responsibility for employers to indicate that they are exempt from participating in OregonSaves, and a penalty for not participating if they are eligible to do so. SB 165 would direct employers to indicate on annual state tax withholding... READ MORE

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