According to 3rd quarter results released by Financial Finesse, employee financial wellness continued to improve, with more people focused on important short term money management issues such as reducing debt, living within their means and setting up emergency funds — which came at the expense of... READ MORE

Predicting continued slow growth of the U.S. economy and continued lower interest rates from the Fed, PIMCO’s Bill Gross predicts bite-sized future returns and the growing risk of misguided monetary policies leading to disruptive financial markets in the future. Citing lower capital spending and... READ MORE

Employer-provided retirement plans like 401(k)s are how moderate income American workers save for retirement. A look at participation rates among these workers (defined as those earning between $30,000 and $50,000 a year) shows that among workers who have access to a retirement plan at work, 71.5%... READ MORE

ERISA imposes strict liability on plan sponsors to conduct proper due diligence, yet many are ill prepared to discharge that responsibility. Tim Minard, an SVP at Principal Financial Group, outlines five very practical and basic steps on how to form and run an Investment Committee and detail the... READ MORE

Bloomberg reports that some participants are cashing out their 401(k)s to buy real estate. With the home market rebounding and investors wary of the stock market, some participants are more confident in assets they can control and understand. What are the risks? Too much concentration of... READ MORE

Regardless of how Congress is reshaped in the wake of today’s elections, legislators on Capitol Hill will face a daunting task: reducing the federal government’s budget deficit. Throw in the adverse consequences of letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire in January — referred to by some observers as “... READ MORE

While the initial results of the 404(a)(5) participant fee disclosure regs have been very muted, plan advisors should not be lulled into complacency. Participants need to know that they pay fees which are used to support a tax deferred savings account — an account which often includes a match that... READ MORE

Political changes resulting from the November 6 elections are unlikely to have a major effect on how critical retirement plan policy decisions are made. Most significantly, decisions about fundamental changes to the tax code are likely to be made in the context of budget issues, not retirement... READ MORE

In a recent national survey of investors, nearly 90 percent of respondents said they felt it would be important to have a strategy in place for using their savings and investments to generate a regular income in retirement by the time they are 60 years old. However, only half said they did or would... READ MORE