By John Sullivan
Source: AdvisorOne
According to a new LIMRA survey, 49% of Americans said they weren’t contributing to any retirement plan; Americans ages 18-34 were more likely (56%) to be among those not saving.
Retirement Plans Digests
LIMRA: Half of Americans Not Saving for Retirement
May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Five Ways to Change Your Clients’ Retirement Math
May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Mark Miller
Source: Registered Rep
If you have clients who may not be on track for retirement success but are “within striking distance,” consider the following ways to get them there, which include scrubbing the expense assumptions and tapping home equity.
Study Shows Shift from DB to DC
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Rebecca Moore
Source: plansponsor.com
Among benefits most directly related to economic security, employers with 50 or more employees are most likely (96%) to offer 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plans. In addition, the Families and Work Institute’s 2012 Study of Employers found 83% of employers made contributions to employee’s individual retirement plans. Only 22% of employers offer defined benefit pensions.
Seven Retirement Questions All Advisers Should Ask
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Darla Mercado
Source: Investment News
The true philosophy of retirement planning can be boiled down to seven key questions advisers should ask their clients. That was the thrust of the keynote speech Moshe Milevsky, associate professor of finance at York University, made this week. Mr. Milevsky encouraged advisers to back away from black-box models that merely spit out a number to be used in planning for retirement.
Are Financial Planners About To Get Blindsided On Their Qualified Plan Clients?
April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Michael Kitces
Source: Nerd’s Eye View blog
While generally targeted at the segment of qualified plan consultants and advisors who regularly work with qualified plans, the reality is that any financial planner who has even just one qualified plan may be subject to the new (Department of Labor) rules – a fact that many are unaware of. The new 408(b)(2) rules are set to go into effect in just 2.5 months.
401(k) Participants Still Like Stable Value, Despite Fewer Guarantees
April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Karen DeMasters
Source: FA News
Stable value funds remain an integral part of defined-contribution plans, despite predictions their use might decline. Participants must choose stable value funds, since they are not a qualified default option for defined-contribution plans. As a result, some experts thought their use would decline.
408(b)(2), 404(a)5) Present Prospecting Opportunities
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Corie Russell
Source: PlanAdviser
Preparing for fee disclosure regulations may be tedious, but there is a silver lining: 408(b)(2) and 404(a)(5) can create prospecting opportunities for plan advisers. “[Fee regulations are] creating a huge opportunity for the sophisticated retirement adviser to gain new business,” said Jim Sampson, managing principal at Cornerstone Retirement Advisors LLC.
Retirement Plan Participants Want Better Advice
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Karen DeMasters
Source: FA News
Financial advisors are missing an opportunity if they do not start providing better services for retirement plan participants, according to a new study by Spectrem. A significant number of participants in defined-contribution retirement plans use outside advisors for investment advice because they feel they cannot get the level or quality of assistance they want from the advisors for the retirement plan, according to the study.
IRA Investors Hungry For Alternative Investments: Survey
April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Margarida Correia
Source: On Wall Street
Investors are interested in putting a portion of their IRAs toward alternative assets but lack the know-how — and often the advisors — to do so, according to a new study from PENSCO. The research found that more than three in four American families (77%) with retirement accounts want to invest in alternative assets but many (44%) do not understand how to achieve that goal.
Many Investors, Especially Younger Earners, Neglect IRAs
April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Mason Braswell
Source: Financial Planning
A majority of Americans are not aware of the money that could be coming their way if they made an annual contribution to an Individual Retirement Account, says a recent survey by TIAA-CREF. Only 22% of Americans are putting some money into an IRA, and most who do save are not investing enough to reap the full tax benefits.
