Pension Funded Status Down in March but Up for Q1 2019
Lower discount rates increased liabilities in March, but companies that monitor defined benefit (DB) plan funded status estimate a 1% to 2% increase in the first quarter.
Administration
401(k)s Have Made Significant Progress in Improving Participant Outcomes
In honor of National Employee Benefits Day, Jason Grantz, with Unified Trust, discusses the progress made in the 401(k) industry and the future focus.
MainePERS Has Some Suggestions for Struggling Public Pensions
The plan’s history offers a case study for how to turn around a troubled public pension system after years of neglect; the system at one point was no...
ESOPs As a Retirement, and Succession, Plan
ESOPs can help employees amass greater retirement benefits, as well as help business owners keep control in planning for the succession of their business.
IFEBP Offers Tips for Using Behavioral Finance to Boost Retirement Savings Actions
Stressing what can be lost or gained, peer reviews and comparisons and certain plan design features are among the suggestions offered by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit...
Gap Between Workplace and Retail Retirement Advice Can Be Narrowed
A study finds retail retirement planning advice often offers more information to retirement plan participants, but retirement plan sponsors can increase their offerings to narrow the gap.
DB Plans See Funded Status Gains of Up to 2% in February
Firms that monitor defined benefit (DB) plan funded status attribute the increase to strong equity market performance.
Stretch Match Could Lead to Lower DC Plan Deferral Rates
Analyzing a group of plans, pairing certain plans with others that had match formulas that mimic or simulate the stretched match strategy, Vanguard found the former had participation...
How to Mitigate Participants’ Savings Biases
Experts discuss how plan sponsors can get participants out of retirement savings "ruts" and get them to engage more with their retirement plans.
DC Plan Averages Don’t Tell the Whole Story
It’s important to know how different employee groups are benefitting from a defined contribution (DC) plan so unique issues can be addressed.
Ensuring a Clean Recordkeeper Conversion
There are steps retirement plan sponsors can take before converting to a new recordkeeper to minimize any “clean up” afterwards; however, there is always follow up to do.
DB Plan Funded Status Rebounds in January
Stronger equity markets pushed pension funding up 2% to 3%, according to firms that monitor defined benefit plan funded status, but plan sponsors should continue to watch market...
Attention to Retirement Plan Digital Communications Increasingly Important
A paper authored by Shlomo Benartzi, senior academic adviser at the Voya Behavioral Finance Institute for Innovation, promotes the idea of a “digital fiduciary,” and Andrew Way, with...
Lockheed Martin Transfers $2.6 Billion in Pension Obligations
The company announced one annuity buy-out transaction and one annuity buy-in transaction.
Updating Loan Policies to Discourage Participants from Taking Plan Loans
Changes to maximum loan amounts and number of loans, as well as the imposition of fees and higher interest rates on loans can be written into loan policy...
DC Plan Sponsors Increasing Focus on Fees
Callan’s 2019 Defined Contribution (DC) Trends Survey finds more plan sponsors have conducted fee benchmarking, there’s a shift in who is paying fees and trends regarding revenue sharing...
Effective Retirement Plan Communications Are Understandable and Accessible
A survey from the Empower Institute reveals retirement industry terms employees prefer, what they want communications look like, and how they prefer to receive them.
2018 Pension Funded Status Gains Erased in December
Consultants say market losses for U.S. pension plans in December were the worst in a decade.
403(b) Plans Improving Governance Practices
Even among 403(b) plans not governed by ERISA, PLANSPONSOR DC Survey results show improvement in certain governance practices.
Fourth Quarter Returns Derail Better Year for Pension Funded Status
While the pension deficit for the Fortune 1000 plans Willis Towers Watson tracks is projected to be only slightly lower than the deficit at the end of 2017,...