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A New Track For Transitions

For most pension plans, the short bursts of hard,
unpleasant work known as portfolio transitions are an
infrequent event—maybe one episode every three or four years,
assuming all goes well with the investment managers

Survey Says |

What About the DoL’s Fee Disclosure Proposal?

In July, the Department of Labor published its much-anticipated proposed participant fee disclosure regulations. A week later, I asked readers for their perspectives on the matter.
Bells & Whistles |

September 2008

Each month, Bells & Whistles highlights recent product introductions that plan sponsors may find of interest.
Head of the Class |

Property Values

Adding alternative asset classes, such as real estate, to traditional portfolios usually aims for two intended results: to boost returns by exploiting new types of risks, or to...
Asset Mix |

Inside the Guide – 130/30 Manager Survey

To help sponsors make sense of the biggest money management product push of the new century, earlier this year, PLANSPONSOR reached out to managers offering the new strategies...
The Bottom Line |

Outsourcing Myths and Realities

Amid a tough economy, a lot of employers that did big human-resources outsourcing deals in the past few years are now rethinking them, says Denise LaForte, a Chicago-based...
Total Benefits |

Short Comings?

Middle-income Americans now retiring will have to reduce their standard of living by an average of 24% to avoid outliving their financial assets, a new study finds.
Case Sensitive |

“Out” Standing

Craig Wangberger v. Janus Capital Group, Incorporated; Plan Advisory Committee, and Charles Schwab Trust Company; Advisory Committee; Steven L. Scheid; G. Andrew Cox; Paul F. Balser
Rules/Regs |

Fees Able?

Almost from the moment federal regulators announced they intended to beef up required plan disclosures, the message they heard most often from retirement services industry members was simple:...
Barry's Pickings |

Income Tacks

Under current rules, if an employer sponsors a "tax-qualified" plan—a DB plan or a 401(k) plan—the employer gets a deduction when it makes a contribution to the plan,...
Voice |

Absolute Assurances

Winston Churchill once said that America and Britain were "two nations divided by a common language." It's a division exacerbated by our habit of using the same words...
Saxon Angle |

Trying Time?

The U.S. Department of Labor is working on three significant regulatory projects regarding 401(k) fees.
Just out of Reish |

The Cost of Knowledge

I recently received a question from a reader about one of my articles concerning disclosure of expenses to participants.