Greetings loyal PLANADVISER readers! Coming on the third Friday of the month, this weekend’s mailing is dedicated to the timely and evolving topic of financial wellness. While the topic has been an important focal point for several years now in the retirement plan advisory space, the coronavirus pandemic has cast an entirely new light on the concept of financial wellness. Simply put, the virus has exposed financial fractures and weak points impacting individuals across the income spectrum, putting the onus on advisers to help people create a sense of stability and confidence about their short-term finances.
It took a catastrophic global event to demonstrate how ill-prepared many Americans are for even a brief interruption of income—including many people high up on the income scale.
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Mark Waterstraat, president of consumer solutions at Alegeus, offers simple steps to coach clients through managing their health care finances after a layoff. For example, did you know that individuals can use HSA funds to pay COBRA premiums tax-free?
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The way in which companies structure their remotely distributed workforces will depend on the financial consequences of the pandemic, the impact on corporate culture and other factors, such as the prevalence of gig work.
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A new lawsuit suggests the individual advisory program TIAA clients were rolled into was significantly more expensive and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for TIAA—without providing commensurate performance benefits.
Agency leaders say the principal idea of the new proposal is that climate change and other ESG factors can be financially material and, when they are, considering them will inevitably lead to better long-term risk-adjusted returns.
The important federal benefit increases when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or the ‘CPI-W.’
Arguments in the new case closely resemble previous lawsuits filed against other firms citing the ERISA fiduciary duties of prudence and of monitoring fiduciaries.
