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News Archive
Perhaps consensus is a part of who we are as a people. But voices offering new ideas that challenge accepted mindsets are also part of who we are. And that applies to the discussion concerning retirement savings and preparedness as much as it does for anything else.
There was lively debate in the...
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There has been a lot of litigation in recent months alleging excessive fees and an imprudent reliance on proprietary funds by asset managers' own 401(k) plans. But a new study finds some interesting differences in plan design and participation.
The findings are captured in a recent white paper...
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Gordon Hartogensis was sworn in as Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation on May 15. The U.S. Senate had confirmed him as director on May 1.
Hartogensis, who has worked on Wall Street and also has been an entrepreneur and investor, as well as leader in the technology sector, succeeds...
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So is there a retirement crisis or not? House Budget Committee members and experts who testified before the committee on May 15 did not agree. But at least they did concur on one thing: the need to take action to bolster the retirement readiness of those who are not well-prepared.
Testifying...
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Former American Retirement Association President Marcy L. Supovitz has been named to the ERISA Advisory Council, which advises the Labor Department on policies and regulations regarding ERISA plans.
The 15-member council (formally titled the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit...
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Changes that don’t have anything to do with retirement might undermine bipartisan support for retirement security legislation.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) late last month had announced that the House planned to take up the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE...
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Picking up where they left off in the last Congress, the bipartisan duo of Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) reintroduced their comprehensive “Retirement Security and Savings Act” on May 13.
The 132-page bill includes more than 50 provisions designed to strengthen Americans’...
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Members of the Senate Finance Committee expressed hope May 14 that Congress would move quickly to approve the long-pending Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act (RESA) before moving to the next round of broader retirement savings reforms.
“I’m hoping that the House will send its version of RESA...
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The 2019 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, a body that provides support and advice to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), has said that it will be reviewing transfers of uncashed checks from ERISA plans to state unclaimed...
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Despite a rocky end to 2018 and predictions of an impending recession, those who stayed the course with their 401(k) were rewarded with a generous first quarter rebound on the 10-year anniversary of the stock market low.
Buoyed by positive stock market performance as well as record contribution...
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A measure that would create a board to study appropriate approaches to increase retirement savings by private-sector workers in Colorado reached the desk of Gov. Jared Polis (D) on May 13 and awaits his signature.
Senate Bill 19-173 calls for the creation of a Colorado Secure Savings Plan Board...
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A key member of Congress has reintroduced legislation that would permit 401(k), 403(b), SIMPLE and governmental 457(b) retirement plans to make matching contributions to workers as if their student loan payments were salary reduction contributions.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the...
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The IRS has issued final regulations that amend regulations on user fees for Enrolled Agents (EAs) and Enrolled Retirement Plan Agents (ERPAs). The final regulations affect individuals who are, or apply to become, enrolled agents and individuals who are enrolled retirement plan agents.
The final...
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That playground see-saw is more than a reverse-direction teeter-totter. It’s an apt simile for the paradox a recent white paper discusses concerning Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premiums.
In “The PBGC Premium Burden Report — 2019,” the defined benefit administration and consulting...
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The 2019 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) found a continued increase in retirement confidence – but some were more likely to be confident than others.
Confidence about retirement is one thing, of course, and preparation something else, though the two are logically intertwined. That said, for...
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With billions of dollars continuing to leave the retirement system early every year, a new report looks at factors that lead individuals to take early withdrawals, as well as policies that may help reduce the incidence.
In “Additional Data and Analysis Could Provide Insight into Early Withdrawals...
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The key Senate committee with jurisdiction over retirement tax policy issues is turning its attention to reviewing proposals that encourage and facilitate retirement savings.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has announced that the Committee will hold a...
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The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has revised the forms by which plan administrators and sponsors fulfill the requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA that they notify the PBGC of certain events that may signal problems with a pension plan or business. The Office of Management and...
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The vast majority of participants in defined benefit plans covered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) single-employer program receive all vested benefits, the PBGC says in a recently released report.
“PBGC’s Single-Employer Guarantee Outcomes,” issued in May 2019, reviews...
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In a big win for ACOPA and the lobbying efforts of its members, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is looking for comments on a proposal that would allow employers to request coverage determinations prior to establishment of a plan, as part of a new formal process where the PBGC would...
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