Retirement planning

Jeffrey Carney may be looking for new digs and a new gig.

More than 40% of states have poor pension funding ratios, Morningstar municipal credit researcher Rachel Barkley said.

In addition to the launch of its latest SRI fund, Bethesda, Md.-based Calvert Investments has also announced today the hiring of Amy Mathis as its new director of relationship management.

Charles Schwab has launched the Schwab Advisor Center app for the iPad available for download. Advisors will now be able to access key client data such as balances, positions, and transactions from their iPads.

Look for more flexible offerings from MFS Investment Management thanks to new funds in its target date suite.

Financial Planning talked with ING Financial Partners president, Karl Lindberg, about why a solid understanding of retirement income planning is so important for advisors and their practices.

ING Financial Partners, the broker dealer of ING U.S., has developed a new practice management program designed to help financial advisors address lifetime income planning needs of their near-retirement clients.

The vast majority of boomers are not prepared for retirement and have put saving on hold until the economy turns around.

Relationships help fund firms retain assets, says Cogent Research.

More than eight in 10 (85%) are saving less than 10% of their income for retirement.

The registered investment advisor is becoming a portfolio manager, more than an advisor.

This month's story on retirement is applicable to all our readers. We focused on mass-affluent investors, which, for this story, we viewed as those with decent jobs, and some money, but not enough to be truly confident of a comfortable retirement.

We all know the stats — 10,000 people a day will retire for the next 20 years. And guess what? Most of them aren't rich. Many fall into the "mass-affluent" category, which means they have some money, but they can't afford to make any mistakes. And many of them have very little time left. What can you do?

Advisors have to walk a tightrope when retired clients show signs of dementia. How do you follow your clients' wishes and also do what's best for them when those two things begin to diverge?

What every advisor should know about government insurance to better serve clients.

As America grows older, advisors shift practices from accumulating wealth to generating income.

The president and CEO of Investor Protection Trust discusses issues facing seniors and the special problems for which advisors should watch, including protecting them against fraud.

The new practice management program includes retirement seminars, educational materials with action plans, online tools and a structured framework that financial advisors can follow with their clients, the company said.

Neil Bathon, founder of Fuse Research Network, has big plans for the research shop.

Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network has added four practices.