Laws enacted by states to ensure workers’ privacy on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are under attack by regulators and the financial services industry. The laws, already enacted by five states and under consideration in many more, are intended to prohibit companies from monitoring... READ MORE

Just when you thought you could stop worrying about taxes now that April 15 has passed, there’s another new income tax that took effect Jan. 1, 2013. To fund Obamacare, a new 3.8% tax on investment income applies to couples making more than $250,000 and singles making more than $200,000. Investment... READ MORE

Could a rise in interest rates create a problem for short term TDFs? With many TDFs moving to bonds for safety as their target dates approach, they’re vulnerable to losses if interest rates rise and bonds slump — which many are predicting. Risk can be determined by calculating the duration of the... READ MORE

In Santomenno v. Transamerica Life Ins. Co., a case that may have a significant impact on small market insurance record keepers, a federal court in the Central District of California rejected a motion to dismiss and raised serious questions about whether the record keeper’s ability to add and... READ MORE

Noted thought leader Michael Kitces makes a very interesting point: Advisors who focus on or lead with the fact that they are fiduciaries can actually destroy trust. Advisors who focus too much on their fiduciary status are making the implied statement that clients can trust them — but trust is... READ MORE

New research by ASPPA shows that middle- and lower-income Americans benefit more from retirement tax incentives, mostly due to the non-discrimination rules in DC plans. Putting aside the fact that unlike other tax incentives, savings that taxpayers get by taking advantage of the retirement tax... READ MORE

In its SEC S-1 filing, ING has set its stock price at $21-$24 per share when it rebrands to Voya. The offering should yield $1.4-$1.5 billion. ING’s Dutch parent will get $600 million in primary proceeds, reducing its ownership to 75%. The IPO will consist of two parts, with the international... READ MORE

Add a new player in the DCIO market. Nationwide, which has a significant presence in the small 401(k) market as well as with other DC and 457 plans, has hired five wholesalers plus a full support team to distribute their funds through advisors.There have been very few money management firms that... READ MORE

The April 23 Frontline program entitled “Retirement Gamble” looks to blame Wall Street and advisors for the lack of retirement readiness by many Americans. Claiming that money management firms and advisors have been “draining” the retirement savings of many Americans, according to a recent press... READ MORE