The Four Most Common Questions about VAs
Investors have been asking Moody's if variable annuity issuers have made their products safer, and how Moody's evaluates the safety of VA guarantees. For answers, Moody's turned to the...
DoL releases “interim guidance” on electronic delivery of disclosures
For retirement plans that must disclose general plan and investment information to participants starting May 31, 2012, the Department of Labor offered two viable approaches regarding information delivery.
Cash balance pension for uncovered workers proposed
The Secure Choice Pension would provide retired participants with a guaranteed minimum retirement income, and plan trustees could supplement the benefit with a “dividend” during a strong economy.
Big 403(b) providers becoming bigger
Fidelity, ING, TIAA-CREF and VALIC continued to solidify their positions in the marketplace, according to a new report on the 403(b) retirement plan market from Retirement Research Inc.
Investment Myths Debunked
Rod Greenshields of Russell Investments questioned the value of conventional financial wisdom in a lively presentation at the FPA Experience 2011 conference.
Change of government shapes Danish pension reform
Danish political factions are debating limits on early retirement, a ceiling on tax-deferred plan contributions, and a tax on stock transactions to offset the impact of an aging society.
No-Shows at the Trade Show
At the Financial Planning Association Experience 2011 meeting in San Diego last week, a couple of thousand financial advisors were on hand. So why the dearth of exhibits by...
AXA Equitable puts flexibility in its variable annuity roll-up
Beginning with the third contract year, the roll-up rates of the Retirement Cornerstone variable annuity will be tied to the current 10-year Treasury rate plus 1.5% and will renew...
Americans prefer not to think about long-term care: Sun Life
Most people dread nursing homes. 83% of Americans age 50 and older would rather survive five years at home than 10 years in a nursing home.
The four best known, most admired DC investment managers
Vanguard pulled ahead of the group of 36 leading DC investment managers to score the highest in overall favorability. Fidelity was rated first in overall awareness.
The right savings rate? Russell has a rule-of-thumb
Russell Investments recommends that each year a defined contribution plan participant should be saving a percentage of salary equal to 30% of his or her final income replacement rate,...
Advisor Survey Provides Mixed News for Annuity Providers
Cogent Research's 2011 Advisor Brandscape survey shows that many advisors sell annuities and are highly loyal to certain variable annuity providers. But on average they don't devote much of...
12 Retirement Plan Concepts Financial Advisors Must Know
In this article, an ERISA attorney sets out to help retirement plan advisors understand basic retirement plan concepts that can help them develop and maintain their retirement plan book...
Leakage from retirement plans plagues South Africa
To promote retirement savings and drive down the cost of retail annuities, South Africa's National Treasury is considering the creation of a public, low-cost "Retail Bond-backed Retirement Annuity."
Pensions feel the risks of “de-risking”
In July, the combined funding deficits of the 100 largest U.S. DB plans rose by $68 billion, to $254 billion, said Reuters, citing the Milliman Pension Fund Index.
Actuaries suggest automatic adjustments for Social Security
"Automatic adjustments to benefits, taxes, or the normal retirement age could solve Social Security’s long-range financing problem permanently and automatically—and restore public confidence in the system," says the American...
TIAA-CREF Institute elicits “best practices” for DC plans
The research arm of the non-profit retirement plan for educators has just published the results of a forum it hosted last December on best practices and potential improvements in...
Use of peer pressure to encourage savings can backfire
Plan sponsors who urge union members to participate or to contribute more by pointing out other employees' saving behavior may produce unintended consequences, Harvard's David Laibson (in photo) and...
Health insurance ate your raise
Between 2000 and 2009, the share of compensation gains provided in the form of more expensive benefits ranged from 35.2% to 60.8% for U.S. workers, depending on their level...
Why the U.S. had a crisis but Canada didn’t
Two Rutgers professors explain how fragmentation of the banking system in the U.S. has led to a long series of panics here, of which the Great Recession was only...
