| | Benefits & Administration | | Senior Researcher Outlines an Evolving Industry | | In his position as a chief research strategist with Russell Investments, Bob Collie sees a shifting retirement plan landscape—an industry facing critical challenges, but changing for the better. “There is a reason why we are seeing so many retirement system reform proposals coming down the pike from Washington and the states, and from so many other places and points of interest,” Collie tells PLANSPONSOR. “And the reason is that there is still some real weakness in the U.S. retirement system that is proving to be really challenging to overcome—especially when it comes to the basic question of access to a tax-qualified plan option.”Read more > | | | Products, Deals & People | | Help for Participants Who Are Caregivers | | With over 5 million Americans suffering from
Alzheimer’s disease—a number that is anticipated to triple by mid-century—a
plan sponsor is almost sure to have participants whose lives and finances are
affected at one point or another. To address the challenges of financial
planning under these tough circumstances, Transamerica, in partnership with
Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, published a free book to help
those who handle the finances of someone with dementia.Read more > | | | Economic Events | | In the week ending April 18, the advance
figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was
295,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of
294,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was
284,500, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of
282,750.
Sales of new single-family houses in
March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000, according to
estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. This is 11.4% below the revised February rate of
543,000, but is 19.4% above the March 2014 estimate of 403,000.
The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate
mortgage is 3.65%, down from 3.67% one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average
interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.92%, down from 2.94%.
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