In recent months, writs of certiorari have been filed with the Supreme Court in four cases involving tax qualified defined contribution plans.

Studies conflict over the long-term performance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing, and institutional investors say they want better track records.

One retirement industry executive says she believes the Senate could act quite quickly in taking up the SECURE Act, which just passed the House of Representatives with a practically unanimous yea vote.

During a House committee hearing in early May, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta said the Department of Labor (DOL) is working with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to propose a rule that will protect investors.

With the passage of the SECURE Act by the House of Representatives, experts tell PLANADVISER they are optimistic that agreement will be reached with the Senate during this Congress, but the many supporters of retirement reform will have to wait and see how compromise might be reached.

Retirement plan advisers with established 401(k) businesses are finding new revenue streams and client engagement opportunities among nonprofits and educational institutions, and in the area of estate planning.

A research report argues that even defined contribution (DC) plan participants in plans with a default investment do not have the financial acumen to know whether the default is right for them or whether they should opt out.

“Buyout products had a very strong start to the year with $4.7 billion in sales,” says Mark Paracer, assistant research director for LIMRA SRI. “Previous first quarter sales had never exceeded $1.5 billion.”

Looking at the hits company balance sheets take from a pension risk transfer (PRT) to terminate a defined benefit (DB) plan, may cause plan sponsors to change course.

Sales of fixed annuities increased 38% during the first quarter of 2019 relative to the same period last year, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute.

NARPP says that if retirement plan participants trusted their providers more, it would likely lead to higher deferral rates.

The large increase, rising to an average of $267,609, was due to the improvements in the market, Charles Schwab says.

A new TIAA survey suggests Americans who are concerned about their parents’ financial security are more likely to feel stress about their own retirement preparedness.