Retirement Income
A review of the variety of different options and issues plan sponsors should consider when evaluating choices around retirement income.
Special Coverage
Benefits |
How Sponsors Should Consider Different Lifetime Income Options
Sponsors have both legal and practical ramifications to weigh.
Benefits |
Managed Accounts Provide Opportunity, Challenges as a Retirement Income Solution
With their ability to provide personalized advice, managed accounts have become a more attractive retirement income solution, but the high...
Understanding In-Plan Retirement Income Fees
Plan sponsors have a number of factors to consider when comparing investment, insurance and drawdown options for their participants.
Past Special Coverage
DC Plan Design
A review of how plan sponsors can use defined contribution plan design to help participants meet retirement goals.
Benefits
|
Design Options: Building Strong Retirement Plans
Retirement plan designs that include features and investment options incorporating retirement income into defined contribution plans are a 'good starting point' but can be a ‘blunt force instrument approach.'
Benefits
|
Providing Retirement Benefits Can Benefit Employers
Tax benefits and new credits aim to offset the cost of setting up new retirement plans and can be a ‘big win’ for plan sponsors.
Benefits
|
Upcoming Trends in Plan Design: From the Perspective of a Retiring Plan Sponsor
Carl Gagnon, assistant vice president of global financial well-being and retirement programs at Unum Group, reflects on his tenure and provides insight into the future of plan design.
Optimizing Plan Design in the Investment Menu
Experts discuss the trends of streamlining the investment menu and adding lifetime income options
Opinions
|
Encouraging Trends in 401(k) Plan Design
A review of topics plan sponsors should consider as they review their plans before the 2024 enrollment season.
LDI, PRT and Plan Termination
A review of the opportunities and risks to consider when deciding whether to continue offering and operating a defined benefit plan.
Benefits
|
Now It Is About Protecting Healthy Funded Levels
Higher interest rates since 2022 have put corporate pension funds at their highest funding levels in many years, prompting plan sponsors to consider options to hold onto the gains and limit their risk.
Benefits
|
Increased Litigation Around PRTs Brings Insurance Industry Practices to Light
As defined benefit plan sponsors look to de-risk and offload pension liabilities, the selection of annuity providers has come under increased scrutiny in recent lawsuits.
Investment Strategies are Among the PRT Alternatives
Plan sponsors can consider plan conversions, similar to what IBM has done, hibernation or different investment strategies to reduce risk without transferring it.
Benefits
|
High Bond Yields Drive Increase in PRT Contracts
The rise in yields in recent years have not boosted the size of the contracts.
Opinions
|
Why PBGC’s Flat-Rate Premiums Need to Drop
Lowering premiums might spur some organizations to consider offering a defined benefit plan, which could be an additional form of income in retirement.
DOL’s Late IB 95-1 Report Concludes More Time Is Needed
The long-awaited report makes no recommendations for changes.
Recruiting, Hiring and Training Plan Sponsors
What companies are doing to hire for their benefits teams, especially for the teams that run their retirement plans.
The Landscape at the Entry Level
Business-related degrees are important, but so are data management and soft skills.
Training Benefits Teams to Work with the Retirement Plan Looks Different for Every Organization
Staffers have varying degrees of experience with retirement plans, so providing training and education is vital when managing a benefits team.
Retaining Skilled Experts Requires Employer Flexibility
Implementing a phased approach to retirement and transitioning workers in a ‘flex-tirement’ paradigm helps employers to remain competitive and keep down hiring costs.
Dealing with Stress, Burnout in the HR, Benefits Department
With fatigue and exhaustion on the rise among HR leaders, plan sponsors are tasked with managing the stresses that their benefits teams face while also prioritizing the needs of their participants.
403(b) Plans
An examination of the challenges and considerations employers face when offering 403(b) plans.
Benefits
|
403(b) Participation Rates Reach Record Highs, but Savings Results ‘Still Not Great’
For 403(b) plan sponsors, automatic enrollment helps employees build retirement security, but participation is only half the task facing many, due to low savings rates.
Benefits
|
Know Your DC Plans
Tax-exempt, church and governmental employers have a wide range of considerations when picking what retirement plan, or plans, to offer.
Benefits
|
With Limited Resources, Managing 403(b) Plans in Higher Ed Brings Unique Challenges
As higher education plan sponsors often work with small benefits staffs and oversee diverse pools of employees, administering a retirement plan tailored to all employees’ needs is a difficult task.
Opinions
|
Top Considerations for 403(b) Plans in 2024
Optional SECURE 2.0 provisions and IRS determination letters can help plan sponsors position their plans to meet participant needs.
Benefits
|
Government Sponsors Say Payroll Systems Are Main Obstacle to Roth Catch-Ups
Government plans need more guidance from the IRS to address payroll-related complications that affect compliance with parts of SECURE 2.0.
MEPs, PEPs and Pooled Plan Providers
Check out the stories on research and data about these collective plans, plus feedback from employers that have decided to join one.
Benefits
|
Can Multiple Employer Plans Help Close the Retirement Coverage Gap?
Advertised as a more cost-efficient and less burdensome way for small employers to offer a retirement plan, pooled solutions may not be the perfect solution to the coverage gap.
Benefits
|
Into the Pool
Representatives from two different companies explain the process by which their firms chose their respective multiple employer retirement solutions.
Benefits
|
Moving the Needle
What do the data say about the role MEPs and PEPs can play in getting more people access to employer-provided retirement accounts?
Benefits
|
In PEPs, Attaining Economy of Scale Is Critical, Sometimes Illusive
While the pooled plan providers, sponsors of multiple employer plans, continue to see asset inflows, for sponsors, joining a PEP to realize cost savings can be more difficult than advertised.
Products
|
The 3-Letter Plan Type You Haven’t Heard of
Defined Contribution Groups—DCGs—offer another option for sponsors seeking to simplify some administrative tasks.