John Iekel

Almost Half of Employers Say ACA Affects Their Retirement Plans

By John Iekel 4/23/2014

Just under half of employers in a study by the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute say that the Affordable Care Act has affected the way they run their retirement plans and how much they spend on them. According to the LIMRA study, 55 percent of the employers that have made changes because of the ACA... READ MORE

IRS Allows Millions in Questionable Self-employed Retirement Plan Deductions, IG Says

By John Iekel 4/22/2014

The Internal Revenue Service can do more to identify improper deductions for contributions the self-employed make to their simplified employee pension (SEP) plan retirement accounts. And it could bring in $71 million over five years if it does, says the Treasury Inspector General for Tax... READ MORE

Milliman: Pension Plan Liabilities Grew in March

By John Iekel 4/21/2014

Pension funding status slipped in March and liabilities grew, says a report by consulting and actuarial firm Milliman, Inc. Milliman reports that for 100 of the largest U.S. DB plans, pension liabilities grew to the tune of a collective $5 billion. Milliman blamed a drop in the monthly discount... READ MORE

Graff Reaffirms Support for Real Solutions to Retirement Issues

By John Iekel 4/16/2014

In an exclusive interview with Christopher Carosa of FiduciaryNews, ASPPA Executive Director/CEO Brian Graff reaffirms his strong support, and that of ASPPA and its sister organizations, for real and tangible action to ensure a secure retirement for working Americans. Graff tells Carosa that a... READ MORE

PBGC Proposal Would Allow New Rollover Option

By John Iekel 4/14/2014

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has proposed allowing an employee to roll over funds from a DC plan into a DB plan. The proposal, which the PBGC issued on April 1 and was published in the Federal Register on April 2, is intended to increase returns by making rollovers easier and removing... READ MORE

Small Businesses Find Fee Disclosures Clearer, Study Says

By John Iekel 4/14/2014

A majority of small businesses said in a recent study that the fee disclosure statements they receive from plan providers and vendors are more understandable than those they received in 2012. ShareBuilder 401(k) reports that 62 percent of small businesses in its recent nationwide study find the... READ MORE

IRS Seeks to Ease Plan-to-Plan Rollovers

By John Iekel 4/14/2014

New guidance from the IRS may make the plan-to-plan rollover process a little smoother. Revenue Ruling 2014-9, issued on April 3, is intended to make it easier for plan participants to consolidate their retirement savings accounts by making it easier for them to move assets from one employer plan... READ MORE

Funding Ratio of S&P 1500 DB Plans Down in March

By John Iekel 4/13/2014

The funding ratio of DB benefit plans sponsored by employers in the S&P 1500 offer fell slightly in March. Mercer found that the funding ratios of those companies’ DB plans slipped to 85 percent; it had been 87 percent in February. Mercer attributes the drop not to a dip in the U.S. economy,... READ MORE

Fiduciaries, Know Thy Duty

By John Iekel 4/11/2014

“I’m a fiduciary? What does that mean?” Strange as it may seem, there are plenty of plan sponsors who ask that question — more than half of them, in fact, according to Unified Trust Company CEO Dr. Gregory W. Kasten. In an ASPPA webcast, “Breaking Down the Many Fiduciary Roles, Obligations and... READ MORE

Annual 401(k) Matches: Pros and Cons

By John Iekel 4/11/2014

Many employers match a certain percentage of what their employees defer into their 401(k)s. In the wake of the recent debacle at AOL, Investment News looked at the advantages and disadvantages of providing the match on an annual basis.Annual matches can benefit employees because they: protect... READ MORE

Fee Policy Statements: Upping the Ante on Fee Disclosure

By John Iekel 4/11/2014

Plan advisors are well aware that one of their clients’ newest — not to mention most publicized and even controversial — demands is fee disclosure. To meet that demand, some advisors are going a step further. Investment News reports that some advisors are providing fee policy statements in addition... READ MORE

Retirement Plan Savers More Confident, EBRI Finds

By John Iekel 4/10/2014

Some rays of sun appear to be dispelling the gloom that has long engulfed employees’ confidence in their ability to fund a comfortable retirement. The Employee Benefit Research Institute in its 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) reports that more than half of employees are at least somewhat... READ MORE

Remember the Importance of 401(k) Plan Committee Meetings and Quarterly Check-ups

By John Iekel 4/9/2014

Your clients offer 401(k) plans, and all have 401(k) plan committees. Those committees have fiduciary responsibility, and it’s in your clients’ interest to make sure they are fulfilling their duties. They can do that through meetings of those committees and quarterly reviews, our friends at the... READ MORE

Retirees Still Offer Advisors Opportunity, Study Suggests

By John Iekel 4/8/2014

Advisors can still play an important role in helping plan sponsors and participants manage an employee’s funds even after retirement, a new study by Vanguard suggests.The vast majority of retirees (90 percent) continue to preserve their savings in tax-deferred accounts — either individual... READ MORE

Enrollment Choices: Less is More

By John Iekel 4/8/2014

Offering participants too many options can discourage enrollment. But what’s the “sweet spot” in terms of the optimal number of enrollment options? A test by Fidelity found that 78 percent of participants preferred a three-part enrollment option — and that those who chose that option contributed... READ MORE

Rollovers in Sharper Focus

By John Iekel 4/7/2014

IRS guidance and a pointed reminder from an industry group illustrate the increased frequency and importance of rollovers, not to mention that they are piquing the interest of federal regulators and interest groups. When a rollover takes place from a non-Roth balance to a Roth balance in a 401(k... READ MORE

401(k) Features Build Assets, but Can Do More

By John Iekel 4/7/2014

More than 50 million employees in the United States participate in a 401(k) plan, and recent research shows strong employee interest in contributing part of one’s salary to achieve a comfortable retirement. Employers have a variety of features they can incorporate in the plans they offer, and they... READ MORE

A Case for Breaking the 4 Percent Rule

By John Iekel 4/7/2014

Sometimes rules are made to be broken — even when they are long-standing and seem rock-solid. The 4 percent rule is one, and “Breaking the 4 Percent Rule,” a recent paper by J.P. Morgan makes the case for that. (The 4 percent rule advises retirees to withdraw 4 percent of their retirement account... READ MORE

State Protection for Pensions Varied, But Widespread

By John Iekel 4/7/2014

Municipal bankruptcies like Detroit’s bring into sharp relief the effect such financial strains can have on pensions, as well as the effect of what local and state governments do. But there is good news — most states have taken steps to protect public-sector pensions. In fact, according to... READ MORE

TDFs Drive, Reflect Flexibility in Fund Management

By John Iekel 4/7/2014

Target date funds reflect that flexibility and engagement have become firmly entrenched aspects of retirement plan management for both participants and plan sponsors. In a NAPA webinar, “Target Date Trends and Evaluation,” T. Rowe Price’s Jerome A. Clark discussed how TDFs reflect greater... READ MORE

You are here

John Iekel

Pages

Most Popular