The born-on-the-web RIA firm, Rebalance IRA, recently produced a report, the title of which identifies their core finding, “Nearly Half of Americans Surveyed Falsely Think They Pay Zero... Read More
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Plan Optimization
BY NAPA Net Staff | 10/22/2014
According to Cerulli, the managed account market will climb to $6.7 trillion in assets under management by 2017, an 18% compound annual growth rate between 2013 and 2017. What might that mean for... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 10/21/2014
A recent Fidelity study found that in the 20 to 30 age group, 44% of all DC participants are cashing out after leaving employment. If financial hardships and subsequent cash outs from rollovers into... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 10/18/2014
As you may have heard (but may not), this is National Save for Retirement Week. Of course, there’s no “magic” to a week dedicated to a focus on saving for retirement — even... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 10/17/2014
The move to passively invested funds is both steady and monumental, as evidenced by Vanguard garnering 98% of all net inflow into U.S. equity funds in 2013. Nonetheless, it doesn’t look like a... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 10/13/2014
According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) (often referred to as the “fear gauge”) “peaked at 24.64 on [Oct. 14... Read More
BY John Ortman | 10/13/2014
Morningstar announced Oct. 13 that its analysts have changed the ratings of five PIMCO funds, upgrading one and downgrading four, including the PIMCO Total Return fund. On Sept. 26,... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 10/11/2014
Before target-date funds were “cool” (or widely available), I had steered my mother toward an asset-allocation fund as a good place to invest her retirement plan rollover balance. The... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 10/10/2014
According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are no second acts in American lives — but don’t tell that to Bill Clinton or, now, Bill Gross. Publishing his first economic outlook since his... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 10/7/2014
When MSCI established its emerging markets index in 1988, this newly formed asset class represented approximately 1% of the world equity investment opportunities. Today, emerging markets... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 10/3/2014
A new survey indicates that a growing number of plan sponsors are at least thinking about more customized investment options for their DC plan menus. Still, according to preliminary results... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 9/29/2014
In a MarketWatch post, “The No. 1 Flaw in America’s Biggest 401(k) Plans,” author Paul Merriman makes three observations concerning the investment lineups of the 100 largest... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 9/24/2014
The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether bond giant PIMCO artificially boosted the returns of the $3.6 billion PIMCO Total Return exchange-traded fund, according to The... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 9/23/2014
The conventional wisdom — as is evident from the mainstream glide paths imbedded in the most popular target date funds (TDFs) — is that DC investors should be invested in... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 9/22/2014
One of a series of InvestmentNews articles for plan advisors addresses the issue of managed accounts. Many experts are quick to dismiss managed accounts as a niche that has gathered minimal... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 9/17/2014
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Mark Iwry, author of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 — the law that heralded the auto-plan — outlined what he considers the ideal DC plan at... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 9/11/2014
Participant transfer volumes remained in the summer doldrums in August, according to the Aon Hewitt 401(k) Index. When trading occurred, plan participants favored fixed income funds over... Read More
BY NAPA Net Staff | 9/10/2014
A new analysis explains that, while each situation is unique, most employers tend to take one of three broad approaches in moving to a DC-only environment. The report can serve as a roadmap... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 9/9/2014
A Money magazine article published Sept. 2, “Why Your 401(k) May Only Return 4%,” makes this point: “The biggest dilemma in retirement investing may be how hard it will be to... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 9/9/2014
When TDFs first came out, some advisors saw them as a threat — especially when the record keeper only offered one option, usually their own. For advisors who saw their value primarily in... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 9/5/2014
In a further sign of the difficulties that ETFs are having trying to crack the 401(k) market, BlackRock’s iShares division is shutting down its exchange-traded TDF. The fund had... Read More
BY Nevin E. Adams, JD | 9/3/2014
Earlier this summer the Treasury Department issued new regulations encouraging longevity insurance within DC plans and IRAs — but will that make a difference? A recent blog post... Read More
BY Fred Barstein | 9/2/2014
Many people are gambling with their retirement, not saving enough and hoping that things will work out. But some credit unions and nonprofits are taking a different approach to induce savings... Read More
BY John Iekel | 8/28/2014
Eastman Kodak, one of New York State’s major employers, has changed its retirement plan in a rather unorthodox way. Kodak still offers both a defined contribution plan and a defined... Read More
BY Jerry Bramlett | 8/21/2014
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Hedge Funds in Your 401(k): Do they Fit,” (subscription required) Jason Zweig discusses the possible “place” of alternatives... Read More
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