In Practice

 Using the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS’s) required minimum distributions (RMD) as a withdrawal strategy does almost as well as traditional options and outperforms the 4% rule.  

 While more than half of plan sponsors offer target-date funds (TDFs) in defined contribution (DC) plans, only half of them use TDFs as the default.  

Advisers can use social media to build more personal relationships with clients, speakers said during the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) social media seminar.

 AllianceBernstein has found that whether plan participants consider themselves “active” or “accidental” investors, they give target-date funds (TDFs) praise.   

Only 56% of employees eligible to participate in the annual benefits enrollment period are confident about their decision-making, and many keep the same choices.

Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) companies saw an economic upturn in 2011, with continued increased share value, support among company leaders and better productivity.

The education policy statement (EPS) is an important element of retirement plan fiduciary management, according to a Transamerica Retirement Services white paper.

 The U.S. retirement income system advanced from 10th last year to 9th in the 2012 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index.   

High-net-worth younger investors, or accumulators, could be a key market for advisers, according to a study by the research firm Hearts & Wallets.

Plan sponsors and fiduciaries can learn from federal court findings in Tussey v. ABB Inc., and should avoid overly detailed investment policy statements (IPS), a white paper asserted.

Most households with $100,000 to $500,000 in investable assets for retirement have no formal retirement income plan or are not engaged with a financial adviser.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA) makes the case for automatic enrollment, automatic escalation, company matches, education and advice,...

More companies and participants are putting money into their plans, and at higher rates than in previous years, Plan Sponsor Council of America(PSCA) found.

Transition Boomers—those less than 10 years from retirement—agree that rising health care costs will have the greatest effect on their retirement outlook.

Most advisers believe the American Dream is alive, but that Millennials will have a harder time attaining the economic status of their parents, a study found.

Baby Boomer women are more uncomfortable, worried or concerned than Boomer men about their current and future financial situation, according to AARP.

Sixty percent of workers surveyed now consider the workplace a “very important source” for their personal insurance and savings products.

Independent broker/dealer Securities America has designated October “Continuity Planning Month” to address the gap in understanding of the difference between continuity plans and succession plans.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is not just “contact management on steroids,” according to a source at Schwab.