Practice

Large U.S. retirement plan sponsors believe defined contribution plans should be mandatory, and include auto enrollment, savings escalation and employer contributions, according to a study by Northern Trust.

The looming battle over Congress is bringing investors’ macro-economic concerns to a head.

Even though small business owners have seen improvements in their businesses, they do not expect an economic rebound until the second half of 2011, according to a Business Confidence Survey released on Monday by Administaff.

The effects of the financial market meltdown from 2008 are still unfolding, as companies cut benefits and unemployment stagnates. Many women are responding by shouldering more financial responsibility in their families, which helps explain why they are so driven to learn more about their retirement finances.

“Referrals are a transfer of trust” said Julie Littlechild, President of Advisor Impact. She added, “They are an expression of everything you do with your clients.”

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Connecticut banking commission have sued a Connecticut hedge fund manager with fraud.

With more than $23 trillion in assets under management, pension funds represent the largest asset class in the global financial marketplace. Managing this massive amount is the responsibility of pension plan sponsors who, supported by investment managers and other service providers, are charged with delivering results to plan participants within an ever-changing and ever-challenging economic environment.

If the Securities and Exchange Commission had systematically documented numerous complaints about Bernard Madoff made over 10 years by financial analyst Harry Markopolos, who argued that Madoff's returns were mathematically impossible; known that two of SEC offices were independently investigating Madoff, unbeknownst to one another; and heeded the advice of one of its own examiners five years before the $18 billion scandal came to light-it might have seen the bigger picture and stopped Madoff in his tracks.

Build America Bond issuers could potentially go years without subsidy payments under the examination process the Internal Revenue Service is currently considering for them, bond attorneys meeting here warned last week.

Issuers that want to avoid disclosure mishaps — and possible federal enforcement action — should develop and closely follow policies as well as procedures that lay out who must review and sign off on their disclosure documents, Securities and Exchange Commission officials are stressing.