PLANSPONSOR Magazine

COVER

‘After’ Shocks

While financial pundits are prone to trace cyclical
“corrections” to the bursting of
“bubbles”—housing, tech—the resulting declines
generally are not that sudden, nor are they, generally
speaking, wholly unanticipated.

War Stories |November 2008

November 2008

We all have them: those front-line experiences that are inevitable when one deals with the variety—and sensitivity—of issues associated with human beings and critical life events.
Survey Says |November 2008

Have the Markets Moved Your Participants?

It has been hard to avoid watching what's going on in the markets and, as the third quarter wound to a close, I asked readers what, if anything,...
Bells & Whistles |November 2008

November 2008

Each month, Bells & Whistles highlights recent product introductions that plan sponsors may find of interest.
Feature |November 2008

Storm Surge

The end of summer brought trauma to the financial markets. In September and October, the Dow plunged hundreds of points more than once, and bankruptcy plagued—and/or threatened to...
(k)Plans |November 2008

Redefining Defined Contribution

The defined contribution (DC) market­place is about to see a major shift toward a retirement-income focus, according to a new report by consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
Head of the Class |November 2008

Distress Test

Managers are certain that the U.S. economy has some rough times ahead, but they also are enthusiastic about the prospects for high-yield.
Running the Fund |November 2008

Alternative Realities

The U.S. Department of Labor's Boston office reportedly is looking into how pension plans value alternative investments, and the investigation ultimately could lead to a new DoL requirement...
Case Sensitive |November 2008

Time Travails

Jean McCarter, et al., v. Retirement Plan for District Managers of the American Family Insurance Group, et al.
Rules/Regs |November 2008

Pay “Pal”?

DoL tool makes it easier—to pay fines
Barry's Pickings |November 2008

‘Group’ Thinking

Here's a dilemma Democrats face: Democrats like to side with the little guy.
Voice |November 2008

Automatic Enrollment Is a Good Thing—or Is It?

Getting individuals to save more sounds great. How about 401(k) participants having larger account balances when they retire? Few would argue against it because, as a matter of...
Saxon Angle |November 2008

Path Findings

On August 22, 2008, the Department of Labor (DoL) issued a proposed regulation (the Regulation) implementing a statutory exemption and a new proposed prohibited transaction exemption (PTE) that...
Just out of Reish |November 2008

Sustain Abilities

The unexplored frontier for 401(k) plans is whether partic­ipant account balances are going to be large enough to pay adequate levels of retirement income. It is, in the...