Special Program Root Tag

Continued scrutiny by regulators and legislators on the fees and outcomes of 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans is pressuring revenues at asset managers, advisers and recordkeepers and will shape the future of the DC retirement plan market, according to a new study from Financial Research Corp., “Trends in Retirement/401(k) Plans and Administration.”

Portfolio Rethink has introduced seven new indexes that it says are alternatives to the 19th-century Standard & Poor’s 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average. Today, the company says, companies are global and investors are much more sophisticated.

Assets in U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes rose 39% from a year ago to $1.098 trillion at the end of June, up from nearly $788 billion at the end of June 2010, the National Stock Exchange said.

When it comes to sovereign risk ratings, it could be a case of "out of Greece and into the fire" as venerable credit-rating agency Standard & Poor's this week joined Moody’s in issuing a sobering warning that Italy could be the next European nation in line for a downgrade.

American investors are in risk-aversion mode and are not likely to get out of that funk until interest rates start rising. That’s the fundamental conclusion of Morningstar Senior Stock Analyst Greggory Warren.

In a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), experts recommended that middle-income retirees convert a portion of their savings into an inflation-adjusted annuity or opt for an annuity instead of a lump sum from an employer sponsored defined benefit (DB) plan. They also recommended that Americans delay taking Social Security benefits until at least full retirement age.

Rising oil prices, $14 trillion in federal debt, the near shutdown of the government and a slowing global economy resulted in "horrible" results for equity funds in the second quarter, said Tom Roseen, head of research services at Lipper, during his company's preliminary performance report on equity funds in the second quarter of the year.

Americans are banking heavily on stocks and real estate in the upcoming decade, according to the Franklin Templeton Global Investor Sentiment Survey.

A worldwide wave ofregulatory change-exemplified by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act in the United States-will bring "massive changes in terms of technology" in the securities industry.

As if it weren't already enough of a challenge to prepare investors for retirement. Besides the main worry of getting investors to save enough to live a dignified life in their senior years, there are growing concerns over longevity risk, rising healthcare costs and the ravages of inflation.

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has named Credit Suisse executive Noel Donohoe to a newly created position of executive managing director and group chief risk officer.

While mutual fund companies in general are not embracing mobile technologies to the degree that banks, credit cards and self-directed brokerages are, Vanguard and TIAA-CREF stand out in terms of their offering research and trades via mobile devices, according to Corporate Insight.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's recent decision to delay the deadline for hedge fund and private equity fund advisors to register from this month until March 2012 gives them a tad more breathing room to prepare for the new requirements.

While investment managers are not worried about the end of the government QE2 stimulus, their enthusiasm for the economic recovery, stocks and bonds is waning, Russell Investments found in its quarter Investment Managers Outlook survey.

The memory 2008-2009 market crash clearly continues to freak out Baby Boomers, according to a new survey by Allianz Life Insurance.

First Trust Advisors is planning to launch the First Trust ISE Cloud Computing exchange-traded fund on Nasdaq on Wednesday, which it says is the first ETF focused on cloud computing.

Guinness Atkinson Asset Management has launched the Renminbi Yuan & Bond Fund, which it says is the first traditional open-end mutual fund to invest directly in bonds denominated in the Chinese currency, Renminbi.

When individuals are faced with too many options they become paralyzed and don’t make the best decisions -- even when it comes to 401(k) options, according to a new study co-authored by Columbia Business School and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Not enough Americans are saving for retirement -- and the ones who are, aren’t saving enough. Which is why ING’s retirement division has launched a number of programs to help encourage individuals to save more in their defined contribution retirement plans.

A hedge fund services unit of Citigroup in Bermuda has become the latest in a line of third-party middle and back office service providers to be sued by the trustee liquidating Bernard Madoff’s firm to recoup collect funds for disgruntled investors.