Are advisors charging enough for their services? The answer is no, according to a panel of broker-dealer executives (free registration required) leading a discussion at the NAPA/ASPPA 401(k) Summit last week in Las Vegas. To begin with, price competition is driving advisor fees down. As Pat Rieck... READ MORE

At a breakout session at the NAPA/ASPPA 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas last week, industry experts discussed whether it’s more prudent to select the TDF before the record keeper. With more TDFs being used as the QDIA and more money flowing into them, and some record keepers either having limited choice... READ MORE

Once again, the SEC is going to take a look (free registration required) at 12(b)1 and other distribution fees, making it a priority in the next few months. According to a Deputy Director from the Commission’s Office of Compliance Examinations and Inspections, the fees under scrutiny will include... READ MORE

According to recently released research by professors Benartzi and Thaler, 56% of plans now offer auto enrollment (up from 19% in 2005) and 51% offer auto escalation (up from 9% over the same period). Clearly, more plans are taking advantage of auto enrollment and auto escalation. But do plans with... READ MORE

It seems that both employers and employees are getting the message about being smarter about retirement planning, according to an end-of-year report by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, which has almost $100 billion in AUM and covers 2.5 million participants. Key findings from the report, which... READ MORE

In a case of the rich getting richer, Fidelity reported a 34% increase in sales of plans with $50 million or less. Sales were reported to be $8.4 billion and 1,500 plans, with an average plan size of more than $5 million. Known more for selling directly to larger plans, Fidelity has made dramatic... READ MORE

According to research from Franklin Templeton, the answer may be yes (free registration required). Plans are getting bombarded by sales calls, and the level of sophistication of the sponsor and the advisor, especially as you move up market, is growing. More plans are relying on referrals from peers... READ MORE

In today’s world of compressed fees, more competition, and clients’ laser focus on managing costs, there are two keys to maintaining a profitable practice, according to Sue Kelley of Ann Schleck & Co.: adopting a formal process to assess profitability and having a strategy in place to optimize... READ MORE

What makes great leaders and great teams? The question was asked and answered by noted author and thinker Simon Sinek in the keynote session of the NAPA/ASPPA 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas on March 5, 2013. Employing an unusual methodology, Sinek explored the four types of chemicals that the human... READ MORE