Retirement income is increasingly on the minds of plan sponsors, so it is a topic that advisers need to at least begin to explore. It certainly was a big topic at our recent PLANADVISER National Conference. Some experts think that within the next few years, sponsors will begin to embrace retirement income options. The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies thinks that at least part of the solution is permitting people age 65 and older to phase into retirement. At the very least, advisers should suggest that plans amend their plan documents to permit retirees to take systematic withdrawals, rather than a lump-sum distribution, experts say. And they warn that many recordkeepers charge transaction fees as high as $50, so that is something advisers will need to negotiate on behalf of their clients, should they go down this route.
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