Only 45% of affluent investors are satisfied with their employer-sponsored retirement plan provider, according to a report from Cogent Research. Forty-three percent say they are somewhat satisfied, and 12% are dissatisfied.

The average 401(k) balance held with Fidelity Investments reached $74,500 at the end of the first quarter, a 12% increase from a year ago and a 58% increase from two years ago. This is the highest account level since Fidelity began tracking account balances in 1998.

Investors stuck with their retirement savings plans in 2010, the Investment Company Institute said Tuesday, basing its findings on data from more than 23 million defined contribution accounts.

The Hartford is waging an educational campaign emphasizing tax-saving tips for retirement plan participants.

It was widely hoped that at least one silver lining in the recession of December 2007 through June 2009 would be chastened investors with a newfound respect for living within their means, saving and preparing for retirement.

A lack of planning is a common mistake in all aspects of life. That's far from the only mistake made by bank advisors. Here's a look at some of the common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Good managers understand they must not only lead their teams, but must also help them deal with the stresses and personal issues of everyday life.

Exchange-traded funds are likely to grab a “significant” share of the 401(k) market in coming years, according to Skip Schweiss, president of TD Ameritrade Trust Co.

The combination of a robust U.S. equity market and the proliferation of company-sponsored retirement plans helped push total assets in 401(k) pans over the $3 trillion threshold at close of last year, up 13% from 2009.

Whether it's a case of the comparatively small number of "haves" simply socking away a lot more money or a jump in smaller contributions by a larger group of middle class investors, Americans' total retirement investment assets surged to more than $17.5 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2010, up 9.1% for the year.

Even though 68% of workers are saving for retirement, nearly half, 46%, have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, and 50% are not confident they will have enough money to live comfortably in retirement, a survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute found.

A majority of Americans find retirement planning confusing and want additional help, a study by the ING Retirement Research Institute conducted by the Boston Consulting Group found.

The Hartford found in a recent survey that 37% of Americans age 45 and older with incomes below $50,000 worry more about rising taxes than those with higher incomes, but are less likely to participate in a 401(k) or other retirement plan that could reduce their taxes. By comparison, 28.5% of those earning $50,000 to $100,000 have such worries, and 32% of those earning more than $100,00 are worried about taxes.

AllianceBernstein, having expanded the diversification of its target-date funds earlier this year to mitigate the effects of inflation, has just issued a white paper discussing the importance of grappling with inflation risk.

The good branch managers stand out in a crowd, but the bad ones can make your life miserable - so how do you recognize the one worth following?

Putnam Investments announced Thursday that the Lifetime Income Analysis Tool it developed for 401(k) plans to show investors how much monthly income their savings will deliver, has motivated investors to increase their retirement savings rate by an average of 23%. Participants can use the tool to change their retirement date, portfolio mix and contribution rate to immediately see the impact.

Invesco has introduced PlanForward Foundations, a set of three toolkits to help advisers grow their defined contribution business.

American workers exited 2010 with more than $10.2 trillion invested in employer-sponsored retirement plans, up 10% from the $9.3 trillion in play at the close of 2009, according to a new report from Chicago-based affluent investor consultant Spectrem Group.The beefed-up portfolios is just the latest sign that investors are finally starting to regain confidence in the market and, perhaps more important, making a concerted effort to stash away assets for their golden years.

Fulltime students at four year schools received about $16,000 in aid this year.

Lincoln Financial Group is recommending that workers use the 2% reduction in Social Security tax as additional retirement savings. It joins the company of The Hartford and ING which have made similar recommendations.