When a new employee joins a company and is automatically enrolled, he or she starts at the plan’s default deferral rate, which can be as low as 3%. The problem is that many new employees may have been at a much higher deferral rate at their previous jobs. Automatically putting participants into... READ MORE

According to a survey by Cogent involving nearly 1,500 plans of all sizes, 11% of plans indicated that they were likely to change record keepers over the next 12 months, consistent with last year’s turnover rate and historical patterns. Larger plans had a higher potential rate of change. Overall,... READ MORE

Plan advisors, especially those who see themselves as the vanguard of the industry, pride themselves on keeping up with the latest trends, bringing innovative solutions to their clients and prospects. But while these are noble thoughts and might get you a speaking slot at an industry conference, be... READ MORE

Yet another national record keeper is reported to be up for sale. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg Business reported June 3 that Bank of Montreal (BMO) is planning to sell its U.S. Retirement Services division, hoping to get $100 million. BMO’s website lists 1,000 plans, 500,000 participants and... READ MORE

With the demise of DB plans and Gen Xers and Millennials not expecting Social Security to be around when they retire, younger Americans are increasingly viewing their DC accounts as their primary — and perhaps only — source of retirement income.In fact, for many of these investors, who have limited... READ MORE

Most advisors are much better at sales than marketing, and those who don’t know the difference need the most help. Building a brand starts with knowing the core competencies of the advisor and their team and then creating awareness in the market — which, of course, assumes that the advisor has... READ MORE

Members of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) recently collaborated on a white paper outlining what they regard as best practices for DC plan design, investments and monitoring.While it may seem obvious to experienced DC plan advisors, the white paper can be... READ MORE

Though the big three target-date fund providers (Vanguard, Fidelity and T. Rowe Price) have over 70% market share, the percentage of plans using their record keeper’s proprietary TDF is slipping.According to research from Brightscope on 10,000 401(k) plans, just 50% used proprietary TDFs in 2013,... READ MORE

In an announcement that is sure to shock almost no one, JC Flowers has put Ascensus back on the block, looking for $1 billion. In 2012, a reported sale to another DC provider for $400 million fell through.Since that time, the DC market has heated up, Ascensus’ DC assets have grown to over $50... READ MORE