Portfolio

Retirement plan participants using an online tool save at an average rate of 39% higher than other plan participants, according to a study by Principal Financial Group of its clients.

The Kansas City, Mo., based institutional asset manager announced Wednesday it hired Michael Hedstrom as a senior vice president of marketing.

But their outlook is not positive on government bonds and the job outlook, a Towers Watson survey finds.

According to survey results released Wednesday, when RBC Capital Markets asked 100 state and local government experts at The Bond Buyer Texas Public Finance Conference last month whether they would buy municipal bonds for their own portfolios, all 100 said yes.

Jeff Saut is bullish, despite expectations for a 5% to 10% correction in domestic markets.

Fund managers are bullish on the prospects for equities and emerging markets in 2011, but have bearish views on government bonds, a survey of 141 fund managers at the end of 2010 by Towers Watson found.

Transamerica Asset Management, having completed its adoption of the TS&W International Equity Portfolio, has re-introduced the fund as the Transamerica TS&W International Equity Fund.

Thirty-four percent of the 3,171 adults that The Harris Poll surveyed in February expect the economy to improve in the coming year, 42% expect it to stay the same and 25% think it could get worse.

Harbor Funds has launched the Harbor Flexible Capital Fund, managed by Marsico Capital Management.

While the middle class is usually cited as the prime beneficiary whenever Congress ratchets up tax reform rhetoric, talk of possibly eliminating the deferral of taxes on income generated from annuities has financial advisors and their middle-class clients on edge.