The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from vWise Inc., BlackRock, MassMutual and LIMRA.
October rally shows markets’ addiction to low rates: OFR
“The market-implied probability of a Federal Reserve rate hike in 2015 is now down to approximately 25% to 35%," according to the Office of Financial Research. The estimate came...
Shadow of ERISA hangs over state-run retirement plans
California, Illinois and Massachusetts have all enacted laws creating state-run defined contribution plans, but uncertainty that such plans might be subject to Department of Labor regulation is delaying implementation.
Five more advisory firms pay restitution for overcharges
Collectively, an estimated $55 million in restitution will be paid to more than 75,000 eligible retirement accounts and charitable organizations as a result of 10 FINRA cases settled in...
Fidelity partners with Envestnet on plan advisor platform
The new workstation which will provide advisory firms access to retirement plan data and service providers in one central location, will be accessible via single sign-on through Fidelity’s WealthCentral...
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Northwestern Mutual, LIMRA, LOMA, Mindset Digital and Allianz.
Sales of active funds to DC plans suffer as advisors seek lower fees
One-third of midtier consultants say they intend to increase DC plan placements of Large Cap US equity index funds, while only 14% plan to increase placements of similar actively...
As DOL ponders fiduciary proposal, retail channel assets grow
“U.S. retail channels have exhibited strong growth in recent years, driven primarily by Baby Boomers transitioning assets out of traditional institutional channels, such as 401(k) plans,” said Jennifer Muzerall,...
U.S. ranked 15th in pension excellence: Mercer
Both the Dutch and Danish systems were highlighted as “first class” in the seventh edition of the survey, while Sweden rose from sixth place to tie for fifth with...
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Voya Financial, TIAA-CREF, Prudential and MetLife.
Quote of the Week
"If some people have skills that are worth paying for, but it is difficult to determine who they are, everyone will be able to charge more. This mechanism is...
Longevity growth begins to slow: Society of Actuaries
“People are living longer, but longevity is increasing at a slower rate than previously available data indicated," said Dale Hall, managing director of research at SOA.
Financial Engines offers call center support to rank-and-file participants
While participant interest in online advisory services is strong (60%), interest in services that included access to financial advisors is even stronger (68%), a new survey by Financial Engines...
Bank annuity fee income dips 4.1% in first half of 2015
Wells Fargo & Company (CA), Morgan Stanley (NY), and Raymond James Financial, Inc. (FL) led all bank holding companies in annuity commission income in first half 2015.
RIIA’s RMA designation goes online
The course is designed for financial advisors with at least three years’ experience who want to master RIIA's retirement planning advisory process and "View Across the Silos" approach to...
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Conning Research, Milliman, the Dutch Pensions Federation, the Society of Actuaries,TrimTabs, Morningstar, Voya Financial, LIMRA and UBS.
Go Ahead, Buy the Harley
New research in the Journal of Personal Finance shows why retirees can spend 20% more in early retirement than the 4% rule allows. In our latest research roundup, we...
Prudential buys a chunk of JCPenney pension
A portion of plan assets and liabilities of some 43,000 retirees and beneficiaries will move to Prudential without a cash contribution from JCPenney, according to a release. The deal...
‘Robo’ assets grow 208% in 15 months: Corporate Insight
“Most of this growth can be attributed to the managed account model, as the appeal of the algorithm-based advice approach seems to have plateaued,” a Corporate Insight release said.
Who says America doesn’t save for retirement?
Assets in individual retirement accounts (IRAs) totaled $7.6 trillion at the end of the second quarter of 2015, up 0.4% from the end of the first quarter. Story includes...
