Retirement planning

Expanding beyond its customer base of small and micro defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans that invest in separately managed accounts, Zacks Investment Management is now offering the same service to mid-size plans, also using the FOLIOfn platform.

Analyzing the savings patterns of 11.5 million participants in the 16,723 defined contribution plans it serves, Fidelity found that Americans are holding steady when it comes to balancing their concerns over the economy and the declining market, and saving for their retirement.

As the stock market continues to stumble along, high-net-worth investors are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the economy and dissatisfied with the performance of their financial services providers.

Given the turbulence in financial markets, now may seem an inopportune time for financial advisers to make drastic changes to the way they interact with investors.

Fulton Financial Corp. in Lancaster, Pa., is preparing to offer a fee-based advisory service for its retail investment customers, the head of its wealth management and trust businesses said.

Many companies have moved millions of dollars of obligations for executive benefits into pension plans of regular worker to acquire greater tax breaks and pay for executives’ supplemental compensation and benefits, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) has created five new target retirement funds to simplify investing for retirement and to provide investors greater value by offering lower costs that are 47% below the latest similar Lipper category expense ratio average.

America's new mass affluent blend so effortlessly into society that it's often impossible to tell them apart from a traditional middle class family one day, or from an upper class family the next.

U.S. Rep. George Miller of California is probably the best friend 401(k) investors have on Capitol Hill.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox and US Secretary of Labor Elaine L Choa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize and strengthen the cooperation and relationship between their two agencies. The purpose of the MOU is to share information, related to investments and retirement, to help protect Americans’ $5.8 trillion in retirement assets.

Fund management firm Philam Asset Management Inc. (PAMI), a division of American International Group, is now offering investors a Personal Investment Program (PIP), aimed at offering investors an affordable savings plan for their future.

TIAA-CREF’s ads for its Individual Retirement Accounts inferred that government and military employees who contributed to their Thrift Savings Plan were up against a time clock because the TSPs “retire.” Fidelity’s ads simply call the TSP “old.” TIAA-CREF has pulled its ads, but Fidelity, claiming all of its communications go through legal review, is still running them.

John Hancock Variable Annuities has launched a new value-added program that aims to help advisors expand their business by developing guaranteed retirement income plans for their clients.

Despite difficult market conditions, Americans continued to save more for retirement last year, according to the Investment Company Institute.

BOSTON - Excessive fees in some 401(k) plans are hurting the reputation of all 401(k) plans and shaking investor confidence in what most financial experts agree is a great way for the majority of Americans to save for retirement.

BOSTON - Workers love pension plans, but providing 20 to 30 years of benefits to a huge retired workforce can cripple most companies' profits.

In his last public appearance as a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commissioner Paul Atkins said that, with regards to shareholder rights, the agency “would be wise to continue to respect the principles of federalism and avoid the temptation to exceed the limitations on its authority delegated by the Congress.”

To show workers the long-term impact of cashing out their 401(k) savings when they change jobs or retire, a firm that provides rollover services for plan sponsors now offers a free “Cash-Out Calculator.”

After AARP pared down its more than 33 funds at one point during its 21-year relationship with Scudder Investments to a mere five in 2005, sub-advised by State Street Global Advisors, the new chief of its funds unit now wants to expand those offerings, with a new focus on retirement income.

Baby Boomers preparing to fund their retirement years have fueled an annuity sales boom at banking companies since the spring of 2007, and regulators are stepping up their scrutiny of financial services institutions that sell them.