Retirement planning

Recent moves by the U.S. government to prop up ailing money market funds seems to be helping stem the recent massive run on the funds, another fund implosion like the Reserve's Primary Fund can't be ruled out; managers may be holding investments that turn out to be worthless.

NEW YORK - Fee-based independent advisers, so far, are winning the retirement income race, beating out mutual fund companies, brokerages and insurance firms in the quest to conquer the 77 million Baby Boomers' estimated $17 trillion in retirement savings and total $90 trillion net worth.

The labor supply may experience shortages in coming years as more Baby Boomers retire, according to a study by KPMG.

The turmoil in the financial industry and markets in recent days has caused serious anxiety among retirees or near-retirees, as they have seen their savings plummet in recent days, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The phone lines were jammed at financial advisers’ offices throughout the week as average investors called to find out just what the heck was happening on Wall Street.

Target-date funds, also known as lifecycle funds, are rapidly rising in 401(k) plans as the favorite qualified default investment alternative because they're much more appropriate than the traditional money market fund for hands-off investors.

Americans have changing needs for retirement products as they grow older, and mutual fund companies that recognize and respect the differences between the age groups can be much more effective.

Although unemployment and inflation have been higher in the past 30 years, a majority of people age 60 or older have a very pessimistic outlook, according to a poll by the MetLife Mature Market Institute.

Anxious to do business in the world’s third-largest economy, where the population is aging, The Hartford is expanding into Germany.

The Pension Protection Act is proving to help people better prepare for retirement by easing employers’ liabilities for automatically enrolling workers in retirement savings plans. But millions of middle- or lower-income Americans are still underserved, particularly if they work for small employers that don’t offer a 401(k) plan, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Taking dead-aim at Middle America, Allstate Corp. has added guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits to its target funds.

An obscure book about mutual funds has begun to arouse the ire of the industry.

AUSTIN, Texas - Making sure your company's 403(b) retirement plan is in compliance by Jan. 1, 2009 can be a daunting task, especially if you haven't gotten started yet.

AUSTIN, Texas - New 403(b) regulations are coming, whether or not plan sponsors and vendors are ready for the changes.

Although Roth 401(k) features became effective Jan. 1, 2006, few employers immediately implemented them, since they were new and recordkeepers were still developing systems to accommodate the new feature.

PIMCO has named Mohamed El-Erian chief executive officer, a position he currently shares as co-CEO with Bill Thompson, who will be retiring at the end of the year.

The number of affluent households in the United States has decreased, according to initial research from the annual Affluent Market Research Program by TNS, a marketing company based in New York.

Generation X millionaires give nearly twice as much to charity on average compared to older generations, according to a new survey.

In a new effort to fund health savings accounts, the Internal Revenue Service recently issued guidance on subsidizing HSAs with money from individual retirement accounts.

Japanese investors are increasingly flocking to mutual funds that pay out monthly incomes or dividends, with such funds now accounting for 55.7% of all of the nation’s assets in funds, or $303 billion, Nikkei newswire reports.