| | Benefits & Administration | | Holistic Well-Being Programs Becoming Critical Business Drivers | | Employee well-being programs are taking a more holistic approach and incorporating everything from physical health to mental wellness and financial stability, according to the latest Business of Healthy Employees survey by Virgin Pulse and Human Capital Media (HCM). The report indicates that these programs are no longer “nice-to have” offerings, but critical drivers of employee recruitment, retention and engagement. For the first time in the survey’s history, improving employee engagement was cited as the top reason employers offer well-being programs, equal to managing health care costs.Read more > | | Plan Providers Unveil Sophisticated Education Resources | | The Retirement Plan Monitor report from Corporate Insight suggests retirement plan provider firms have consistently introduced new, higher quality resources to participant websites, and many of the firms tracked by the research now provide “engaging resources across a variety of mediums.” These resources cover “comprehensive selections of retirement topics,” Corporate Insight reports. The proliferation and evolution of retirement educational resources continue to be among the most prevalent trends within the digital retirement space.Read more > | | Participant Survey Highlights Lasting Roth Confusion | | The latest research from Cerulli Associates suggests that two out of three retirement savers have either no understanding or a mistaken understanding of Roth 401(k) contributions. According to Jessica Sclafani, associate director at Cerulli, the finding is particularly timely given the potential “Rothification of the defined contribution (DC) market through tax reform.” The lack of understanding of Roth contributions, should Congress move to limit pre-tax savings, will cause significant confusion and potentially a significant drop in savings, according to Cerulli. However, there are also some emerging proponents of the “Rothification” of DC plans.Read more > |
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| | Products, Deals and People | | Who’s Working for You?: National Business Group on Health | | In a series of articles, PLANSPONSOR is profiling industry groups that work for retirement and health plan sponsors to protect them from onerous burdens and help them with plan design and administration. In this article, we profile the National Business Group on Health (NBGH).Read more > | | | Market Mirror | Wednesday, the Dow gained 54.33 points (0.25%) to finish at 21,807.64, the NASDAQ closed 17.74 points (0.28%) higher at 6,393.31, and the S&P 500 increased 7.69 points (0.31%) to 2,465.54. The Russell 2000 was up 2.54 points (0.18%) at 1,402.19, and the Wilshire 5000 climbed 71.04 points (0.28%) to 25,595.70. The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 13/32, bringing its yield up to 2.106%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 29/32, increasing its yield to 2.725%. | | | Sponsored message from Vanguard | Target-Date Funds: Built to Weather Volatility
Uncertainty is often the cause of knee-jerk reactions by investors. Many DC plan sponsors select target-date funds (TDFs) as their plan’s qualified default investment alternative to curb emotional investing.Read more > | | | Compliance | | Ascension Reaches Settlement With Acquired Entity’s Church Plan | | Months after a settlement agreement was preliminarily approved in the case of Overall v. Ascension Health, the health care entity has agreed to a settlement agreement with the Wheaton Franciscan System Retirement Plan in a similar case challenging the plan’s “church plan” status under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Ascension sponsors the plan due to its acquisition of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, an Illinois non-profit corporation.Read more > | | | Investing | | U.S. Has Largest Share of Pension Assets Globally | | Assets under management at the world’s largest pension funds increased in value by 6.1% in 2016, representing a total of $15.7 trillion, according to the latest global 300 research from Willis Towers Watson. The figures for year-end 2016 show a return to growth, following a 3.4% decline in 2015, while cumulative growth in assets since 2011 now stands at 23.4%. According to the research, the U.S. continues to hold its position as the country with the largest share of pension assets across the top 300 funds, representing 38.6% spread across 134 funds.Read more > | | | Small Talk | | ON THIS DATE: In 1813, the nickname “Uncle Sam” was first used as a symbolic reference to the United States. The reference appeared in an editorial in New York’s Troy Post. In 1880, George Ligowsky was granted a patent for his device that threw clay pigeons for trapshooters. In 1915, Johnny Gruelle received a patent for his Raggedy Ann doll (U.S. Patent D47789). In 1921, Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C., was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1930, the cartoon “Blondie” made its first appearance in the comic strips. In 1963, the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio. In 1966, the final episode of the original “The Dick Van Dyke Show” was aired on CBS-TV. In 1971, “The Beverly Hillbillies” was seen for the final time on CBS-TV. In 1977, the Panama Canal treaties were signed by U.S. President Carter and General Omar Torrijos Herrera. The treaties called for the U.S. to turn over control of the canal’s waterway to Panama in the year 2000. In 1979, ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on cable TV. In 1984, American Express Co. issued the first of its Platinum charge cards. In 1986, Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw his 100th career touchdown pass, in only his 44th NFL game, which set an NFL record. In 1989, legislation was approved by the Senate that prohibited discrimination against the handicapped in employment, public accommodations, transportation and communications. | | SURVEY SAYS: This year’s Beloit College Mindset List pointed out that entering college freshmen likely have never used a floppy-disk for storing computer data. This week, I’d like to know, which method did you use in college to store computer data? And, for additional fun, if you remember, share which song/artist was most popular when you were a freshman in college. You may respond to this week’s survey by 6 p.m. Pacific time today.Read more > | | Share the news with a friend! Pass the NewsDash along and tell your friends/associates they can sign up for their own copy.Read more > |
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