Will the recent deal to make 65 BlackRock ETFs available commission-free on Fidelity’s brokerage platform mean greater exposure for ETFs in 401(k) plans? According to Tom Lydon of ETF Trends and... Read More
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Plan Optimization
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/21/2013
With more focus on fees by plan sponsors and the industry as a whole, is it time for advisors to start considering collective investment trusts (CITs)? More popular in larger plans, the major benefit... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/20/2013
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... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/20/2013
Will today’s increased focus on DC plans and the growth of assets in them boost overall returns of the “Big 3” banks that participate in this market? According to Felix Salmon of the Seeking Alpha... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/14/2013
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... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/13/2013
According to a Schwab survey of almost 1,800 investors across nine U.S. markets, affluent Americans may be miscalculating how much they’ll need to retire. While 80% feel secure about their ability to... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/13/2013
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... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/8/2013
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... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/4/2013
With all the debate and attention by the press on 401(k)s, much of which has been negative lately, four senior policy and industry people debated the issues at NAPA’s 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas.... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 3/1/2013
Though 58% of Americans admit to not having a plan for retirement and 39% admit that what they have is insufficient, according to research by Deloitte, 57% prefer to handle their finances without... Read More
BY Judy Miller | 2/28/2013
If California’s proposed retirement savings program gets through the study stage and is actually implemented, California will have the first automatic payroll deduction IRA program in the nation.... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/28/2013
In an effort to offset bailout payments, 11 European countries, including Germany and France, have enacted a new tax set to take effect next year on the sale of stocks, bonds and other investment... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/26/2013
On the heels of Schwab’s recent announcement touting the success of their index-only 401(k) service — which garnered $4 billion of new assets in 12 months — one blogger takes issue with some of their... Read More
BY Adam Sokolic | 2/25/2013
According to a whole new area of science called behavioral economics, or BE — a blend of psychology, economics, finance and sociology — that could very well be. According to BE pioneer and Duke... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/22/2013
Charles Schwab announced the first-year results (subscription required) of 50 plans and 36,000 participants for their “Index Advantage” DC product. Index Advantage includes only passive mutual funds... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/15/2013
According to research by the Urban Institute, many plans using automatic enrollment are reducing their match to keep their costs steady. Though many plans increase participation rates through the use... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/14/2013
While larger plans (1,000-plus participants) are using the fee disclosure regs to reduce costs and improve plan design, smaller plans are reluctant (free registration required) to make changes,... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/11/2013
What is liability driven investing (LDI) and why should you care?LDI is not a product but a process — one that can include investments selected by an advisor. It uses information readily available... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/8/2013
Hate those E*Trade ads that imply a baby can make good investment decisions? Well, there’s a new group of ads by the on-line brokerage firm attacking financial advisors. The new E*Trade ads claim... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/8/2013
The DOL is considering requiring DC plan providers to provide participants with retirement income projections based on their current balances. Specifically, the guidance would require that “an... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/7/2013
Do private workers envy their fellow Americans, especially public workers, because they have amassed rich pensions? As reported last year during the election, there’s a growing divide between people... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/7/2013
At a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing last week, “Pension Savings: Are Workers Saving Enough for Retirement?”, the tone and substance of the hearing were... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/6/2013
While some people, especially in the financial services industry, are enjoying low or almost zero interest credit fueled by the Fed, PIMCO’s Bill Gross warns that when the music stops — which could... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/4/2013
The recent Wall Street Journal article reporting that a surprisingly high percentage of Americans are likely to delay retirement is causing a real buzz and highlighting the problem that almost... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 2/4/2013
The demise of equity mutual funds is greatly exaggerated if January 2013 is any indication — equity funds accounted for $51 billion of the estimated $90 billion net inflows to stock and bond funds,... Read More
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