Retirement planning

A new study suggests that women have been slower to change their investments than men. For baby boomers, there are steps they can take.

The average 401(k) plan balance at the end of the first quarter was up 40% from the year-earlier period, according to Fidelity highlights from its first quarter 2010 401(k) figures.

Declining annuity premiums mean insurers may have to rethink their annuities products in order to survive, according to a report by Scott Hawkins, vice president and insurance analyst at Conning Research & Consulting in Hartford, Conn.

TD Ameritrade released a survey last week looking into how Americans define financial success. More than a third of the respondents (39%) said they define it by being debt-free. Another 29% said that financial success is being able to save money and pay for long-term goals like education and retirement.

The agency aims to rewrite the regulation over the summer.

Evidently, less is not more when it comes to investment advice in 401(k) plans.

New rules and technology, trends among Baby Boomers and the Great Recession have led to a burst in Roth individual retirement account conversions.

Agencies tell investors to look at glidepaths, performance, risks, fees and underlying investments.

There’s a move for more transparency in target-date funds, although some market observers are convinced they won’t solve the current problems.

Retiring boomers are changing the way the financial services industry - and the government – think about annuities.

According to a study, employees will need 15.7 times their final pay to account for inflation and post-retirement medical costs.

Clear guidance and safe-harbor relief would ease industry concerns, Goldbrum says.

Overall sales of annuities though bank holding companies were up slightly at $2.62 billion in 2009, according to the latest Michael White-American Bankers Insurance Association Bank Annuity Fee Income Report. The results, however, were skewed somewhat by BHC-in-name-only Morgan Stanley.

Women are living longer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are prepared for the risks of longevity.

Jackson National Life Insurance has expanded the sub-accounts available for its variable annuities and variable universal life products with the addition of six of the funds in the American Funds Insurance Series.

Working within existing regulations for 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans, Nationwide Financial Services is proposing 401KIncome, a new choice for workplace savings that includes an annuity option.

Bank of America’s U.S. Trust unit is embarking on a new advertising campaign aimed at ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The “What Is Worth?” campaign is an attempt to demonstrate to potential clients U.S. Trust expertise in managing both their tangible and intangible assets.

Only four in 10 women say they develop a budget and save accordingly and less than 40% say they want help from a financial advisor to develop a lifetime or retirement income plan. Most are unsure of where to get help or the costs involved.

WASHINGTON -- The Retirement Savings Project, a leading policy research group backed by The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation and Georgetown University, and affiliated with FINRA and the AARP, is advocating new approaches for defined contribution plans, Social Security and tax policies to insure Americans' retirement future.

Small employers are more likely to let employees contribute the maximum $16,500 to their 401(k)s, BLR survey finds.