Products August 31, 2007

Newkirk Introduces 403(b) Regulations Education Package

Newkirk, a provider of communication solutions for retirement plan providers, has finalized an education package to help providers educate their clients on the new final 403(b) regulations.
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“New Developments in 403(b)” includes summary booklets, Internet content, and online seminars, Peter Newkirk, President of Newkirk, said in an announcement.

“Our new offerings will address the needs of our customers at all levels of technicality. From a comprehensive booklet to a supportive PowerPoint presentation, administrators will easily and effectively be able to educate their sponsors,” he added.

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Administrators can also attend Newkirk subsidiary McKay Hochman’s online seminar detailing the implementation of the new regulations.

All of Newkirk’s printed educational materials are imprintable, according to the announcement. They also may be customized with a provider’s own graphics and text at an additional charge.

For more information, call 1-800-525-4237 or visit www.newkirk.com.

Data & Research August 31, 2007

Retirement Savings Ranks High as a Concern for Investors

American investors are more worried about losing money on their investments and saving for retirement than they are about losing their job, buying a house or paying for college.
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Retirement ranks as the most important saving and investment milestone for a majority of investors (72%), but less than half (47%) are highly confident they are saving and investing enough for their retirement, according to a recent survey by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)

Serious health care problems ranked at the top of the list of the life events that caused investors the most anxiety, followed by losing money on their investments (78%), saving for retirement (73%) anxiety about losing their job (50%), buying a house (42%) or paying for college (35%).

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More than half of the 1,334 investors surveyed say they are highly confident that the investment information available to them is objective and unbiased; however, 59% have made an investment that resulted in a loss of some or all of the money.

The majority of investors (67%) are anxious about being defrauded. One in 12 investors reported losing money in an investment because they were mislead or defrauded, and only a small number of these investors reported the fraudulent activities.

Young investors are the most likely to receive investing information from friends or acquaintances and to invest in unsolicited investment offers.

FINRA was formed when the National Association of Securities Dealers and the New York Stock Exchange merged.

An executive summary of the survey is available here.

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