American workers’ confidence in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement remains low, according to the 23rd annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) conducted by EBRI and Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc. The 2013 RCS was released on Tuesday.The percentage of workers who are... READ MORE

By Steve SmithThere is a basic element of unfairness built into most DC plans that is only now coming to the attention of participants, sponsors and advisors. It has to do with how fund fees typically are used to pay plan costs. It also relates to how fund revenue is paid to the plan and/or... READ MORE

Will the move toward a common fiduciary standard for all advisors under new authority granted to the SEC result in a move toward a common regulator as well? It seems that if FINRA Chief Executive Richard Ketchum has his way, the answer would be yes. While supporting a common fiduciary standard for... READ MORE

For most entrepreneurs, their largest asset is themselves and their business. Many neglect to save enough, thinking that they will be able to sell their thriving businesses when they retire. But recent research by SEI shows that 69% of advisors don’t have a succession plan and 39% have no idea who... READ MORE

While it may appear simple, it’s important to know about the investment guidance that the DOL’s Employee Benefit Security Administration (EBSA) is providing to workers in participant directed retirement plans. One interesting point made by EBSA is that fees should not be considered in a vacuum, but... READ MORE

With many investors concerned about capital preservation, more focus is being paid to stable value, which is one of the leading investments in that category. Research commissioned by MetLife, a stable value provider itself, shows that most plans are not considering making changes to their stable... READ MORE

Will buy-out funds be the next asset category for 401(k) plans? The Carlyle Croup moved closer to making that a reality recently by creating a vehicle that allows accredited investors to invest as little as $50,000 through a partnership with a third-party money manager. There is only a two-year... READ MORE

According to the Callan DC Index, asset flows into TDFs dominated last year, at the expense of large, small and mid-cap equity funds and company stock. The equally weighted index, based on 79 plans with $100 billion and 800,000 participants, showed that TDFs took in 63% of net inflows for the year... READ MORE

Fixed income and bonds, which fall into the general category of capital preservation and can also include stable value and GICs, are a hot topic in DC plans — even as their yields are anything but hot. With money market funds yielding close to zero, advisors need to find investment options for... READ MORE