| | Benefits & Administration | | Public Plans Data Website Launched | | A consortium of public retirement system
research and advocacy groups announced the launch of an enhanced public plans
data website. Available on the site are “Quick Facts” publications, covering
asset allocations and funded ratios at the national, state and plan levels,
among other topics.Read more > | | Updating Communications to Retirement Plan Participants | | Retirement plan sponsors should revisit their
communications strategies to keep up with participants’ needs and advancing
technology. With each effort to engage retirement plan participants, plan
sponsors should ask, “What is it we’re trying to communicate; do we have a
clear call to action; what do we want to measure; and to what end?” says
Elizabeth A. Piper, participant experience manager at Wells Fargo
Institutional. Plan sponsors have access to all kinds of participant data to
help them see where they stand, Piper told attendees of the 44th Annual
Retirement & Benefits Management Seminar, hosted by the Darla Moore School
of Business at the University of South Carolina, and co-sponsored by
PLANSPONSOR. She said communications should include a next best step for
participants, and plan sponsors should track participant actions.Read more > | | | Economic Events | | New orders for manufactured durable
goods in March increased $9.3 billion or 4.0% to $240.2 billion, the U.S.
Census Bureau announced. This increase, up two of the last three months,
followed a 1.4% February decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased
0.2%. Excluding defense, new orders increased 2.6%. Transportation equipment,
also up two of the last three months, drove the increase, up $9.5 billion or
13.5% to $80.3 billion.
THE
ECONOMIC WEEK AHEAD: Tomorrow,
the Conference Board will issue its Consumer Confidence Index for April. Thursday, the Labor Department will
issue its initial claims report. Friday,
the Census Bureau will report about construction spending in March.
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