Tag: Participants

According to the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index, June was a slow month for trading in defined contribution plans; when 401(k) investors made trades, they tended to favor fixed income.

In a frank conversation with PLANADVISER, Andrew Biggs points to some common misconceptions about retirement income replacement among lower income groups.

Commenting on new Social Security deficit projection figures published this week, Rob Fishbein, corporate counsel at Prudential Financial, says it’s not time to hit the panic button yet—but it is time to take very seriously the retirement income challenge individuals face.

While the conference is quickly approaching, there is still time to sign up. All the information you need is here. 

As of the first quarter, more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt was outstanding, triple the amount in 2001; with these figures in mind, Franklin Templeton researchers have highlighted the opportunities presented by 529 plans.

Take a couple that is healthy and retiring today at age 65; the probability of at least one member of this couple living to age 75 is 97%, and to 90, nearly 50%.

“Personal data can tell you so much more beyond just providing insights into individual client behaviors. You can take these streams of data, clean them up and extract valuable insights that look across the book of business to highlight trends and challenges that are not really visible on a case-by-case basis.”

The percentage of people who contributed to their Fidelity IRA in Q1 2018 increased 14% over a year ago; among Millennials, IRA contributions increased even more.

A new analysis from Charles Schwab shows those with a written financial plan are much more likely to have a higher overall Modern Wealth Index score, be regular savers, and effectively manage their debt.

Chris Barlow, national director of defined contribution investments for BMO GAM, riffs on the results of a new “DC Conversations” industry assessment; among the top findings is a downward trend in deferral rates across all sectors since 2010.

About one in three Americans have less than $5,000 in retirement savings, and one in five have no individual private retirement savings at all, according to a new Northwestern Mutual study.

Following up on a broad discussion of market volatility, John Diehl, SVP of strategic markets for Hartford Funds, encourages advisers to consider new means to separate their service offerings from the competition; he also offers a sneak peek at some forthcoming research produced in partnership with the MIT AgeLab. 

While not a traditional topic for retirement specialist advisers to speak about, experts agree that student loan repayment benefits are a powerful boon to financial wellness programming—and a topic that financial advisers should learn more about. 

A new analysis from Corporate Insight underscores the continued proliferation of “responsive design” within retirement plan service providers’ web offerings—benefiting plan participants and sponsors.

A new analysis published by MetLife examines employers’ and employees’ attitudes towards automation and its role in the workplace—including how changes in technology could impact compensation and the basic definition of what it means to work.

However, they are very responsible with their budgets, with 53% having an emergency fund

Nearly one in four say retirement planning is a touchpoint for financial stress

For most people, saving for retirement does not become pressing until their 40s or 50s, when it may already be too late to craft a realistic retirement income planning strategy. 

The Wells Fargo/Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism Index remains at a 17-year high, despite a clear uptick in volatility, with the index at +139 in the first quarter; the firm’s head of retirement dissects the findings for PLANADVISER readers.

IRI President and CEO Cathy Weatherford says financial advisers are uniquely positioned to help Gen X effectively plan for their retirement concerns.