Retirement planning

Hidden, high 401(k) fees that do not decrease commensurately as plan balances rise are individually costing investors hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime of saving, while enriching asset managers with billions.

More retirement think tanks are getting on board with the idea of including annuities in 401(k) plans, but so far, only a handful of large employers have this as an option.

The SPARK Institute has released the “Universal Small Employer Retirement Savings Program” report, in which it explains how universal plans would be less expensive and easier than automatic IRAs.

American workers are feeling more confident about being able to retire than they were last year, but their expectation to stay in the workforce longer to make up for a savings shortfall and the fact that 54% of the population has less than $25,000 saved has retirement experts extremely worried.

While sales of variable annuities declined 18% to $127 billion last year, guaranteed living benefits remained popular, with 84% of policyholders electing to buy those riders in the fourth quarter, according to LIMRA.

Your next generation of clients will require a bevy of new skills. The key—learning to say “no.”

As tax season gets into full swing, many investors are taking a closer look to determine whether a Roth IRA conversion is right for them.

Bucking their overall skepticism or outright distrust of financial services companies, 90% of Americans trust the advice their financial planners have been giving them amid the financial turmoil of the past two years, according to the First Command Financial Behaviors Index.

As tax season gets into full swing many investors are taking a closer look to determine whether a Roth IRA conversion is right for them.

Americans need to resume saving and planning if they want to retire comfortably.

BrightScope, a 401(k) ratings and analytics firm, has formed a partnership with Acceleration Retirement, a provider of practice management, marketing and lead generation services for retirement plan advisers—to offer a complete end-to-end prospecting and client acquisition solution.

The reasons to buy long-term care insurance aren’t new. What is new, though, is who boomer clients are buying such insurance for: their parents.

While sales of variable annuities declined 18% to $127 billion last year, guaranteed living benefits remained popular, with 84% of policyholders electing to buy those riders in the fourth quarter, according to LIMRA.

As the market has, indeed, rebounded nicely, Congress is likely to reinstate the RMDs this year, experts say.

AXA Equitable uncovered a dismal outlook for the economy and retirement in "Retirement in America: A Survey of Concerns and Expectations," in which it polled both investors and economists and found a large percentage of both groups bearish on the economy and the stock and bond markets.

America has yet to witness the tremendous societal transformation retiring Boomers will have, as the oldest is a mere 64 and the youngest, 46. But we are beginning to see signs of the tsunami-sized impact this army of 77 million will have on the workplace, the economy, healthcare and even the arts and entertainment.

America has yet to witness the tremendous societal transformation retiring Boomers will have, as the oldest is a mere 64 and the youngest, 46. But we are beginning to see signs of the tsunami-sized impact this army of 77 million will have on the workplace, the economy, healthcare and even the arts and entertainment.

Amid encouraging news, two “lost years” weigh heavily on participants near retirement.

America has yet to witness the tremendous societal transformation retiring Boomers will have, as the oldest is a mere 64 and the youngest, 46. But we are beginning to see signs of the tsunami-sized impact this 77 million-strong army will have on the workplace, the economy, healthcare and even the arts and entertainment.

To attract assets and customers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has introduced a tool to help employers score how well employees are doing at saving for retirement.