Retirement planning

Fidelity Investments is fast becoming the mutual fund provider choice du jour among advisors north of the border.

Advisers targeting defined contribution plans have new research to rely on.

With gas prices flat, the IRS has announced a 1-cent increase in standard mileage rates for the business use of a vehicle. Thus, that rate will be 56.5 cents per mile for business miles driven in 2013, up from 55.5 cents a miles this year.

The Nationwide Funds Group is taking two tacks to drive growth of assets.

Twenty-five percent of the 33 million U.S. pre-retirees, surveyed by LIMRA, said they felt “very prepared” for retirement, down from 30% of those surveyed in 2010.

Carmela Elco, an executive of National Penn Bancshares’ retirement advisory business, will join the council next month to help with initiatives in research, public relations, general public education, regulatory positions, and practice management.

Most Americans, particularly women, are woefully underprepared for retirement, with four out of 10 women having less than $10,000 saved, and only 21 percent having more than $100,000 in all of their investment accounts, according to research from Mintel.

Most Medicare enrollees will pay 5% more for Part B in 2013. Considering that the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for next year will be 1.7%, advisors can see that seniors’ medical costs are rising faster than the overall inflation.

Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. has expanded its capabilities as a retirement services provider.

The Internal Revenue Service is allowing 401(k) and similar employer-sponsored retirement plans to make loans and hardship distributions to victims of Hurricane Sandy and members of their families, as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to bring all available resources to bear to support state and local partners affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Investors who have saved more than $250,000 towards retirement feel more confident and are more willing to take the risks of putting their money to work in the stock market than their peers with a smaller nest egg, according to a new survey from Wells Fargo.

More than half (55%) of Americans age 53 – 65 say they plan to continue working full-time as long as their health permits, up from 51% last year.

Investors are lowering their expectations for their retirement lifestyles, but is that enough? Not according to a new survey from BlackRock.

When you serve a client well during one of the most difficult times of their lives, it’s not just helpful for the client, but it’s also good for your business says Amy Florian, an educator, Schwab Impact speaker and the founder of the Chicago-based loss and grief consulting firm, Corgenius.

Prudential Retirement has strengthened its stable value team with the appointment of Michael Davis as its new head of stable value.

In fact, a couple age 65 might need $387,000 saved in order to be confident of covering their health care costs in retirement, not including outlays for long-term care.

Invesco Distributors, the US distributor for Invesco Ltd.'s retail mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and institutional money market funds, has launched an iPad app for advisors who work with defined contribution retirement plans.

Principal Global Investor has named Mihail Dobrinov head of the emerging market equities team, responsible for the management of $9.3 billion in assets, including portfolio management of the $1.62 billion Principal International Emerging Markets fund and $1.8 billion in Asian regional mandates.

ING U.S.’s Retirement business has hired Sam Ghazaleh as head of Investor Channel Sales for its Individual Retirement Markets, the company’s retail business that provides personal retirement, investment and income guidance and product solutions to pre-retirees, retirees and the rollover markets.

While more than a third of Baby Boomers said they expect Social Security to be a major source of income in retirement, nearly 40% were not confident that the system will have money to pay benefits throughout their retirement, according to a recent survey by MFS Investment Management.