Products November 21, 2011

TD Ameritrade Launches Supplemental Income Portfolios

November 21, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Amerivest Investment Management, a subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation and TD Ameritrade, Inc.’s affiliated investment adviser, has launched Amerivest Supplemental Income Portfolios powered by Morningstar Associates.
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This new series of professionally built mutual fund portfolios is designed specifically to help generate income, with features that enable investors to choose when to receive income payments and how much each payment will be.  

Amerivest Supplemental Income Portfolios provide: 

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  • Income generation—the majority of mutual funds included in each portfolio are actively managed with the goal of income in mind; 
  • Systematic withdrawals—investors can choose when to receive income payments and how much each payment will be using an online tool connected to the account; 
  • Objective recommendations—the investment professionals at Morningstar Associates provide objective fund recommendations to Amerivest; 
  • Professional portfolio management—each portfolio is actively managed and looks to pursue optimal risk/reward balance, diversification, and maximum alignment with the investor’s unique goals; and 
  • Ongoing maintenance—Amerivest oversees the details of each portfolio—including periodic rebalancing. 

Investors can choose from two portfolios: 

  • Conservative Portfolio—which may be considered by individuals who want to generate income and preserve principal, such as someone already in retirement; and 
  • Moderate Portfolio—which may be beneficial for those who wish to generate income while still experiencing a measured amount of growth that comes from small exposure to equities and some of the risk of equities, such as someone nearing retirement or needing a slightly more aggressive income-based investment. 

In addition, investors further away from retirement can use the Amerivest Supplemental Income Portfolios to help round out their portfolios and potentially help manage risk.  

“As more and more baby boomers approach and enter retirement, we’ve seen increased demand for tools and resources that help generate and manage income once retirement is no longer a goal but a reality,” said Ram Subramaniam, head of products at TD Ameritrade. “This new service can help supplement Social Security, pensions, and other income sources in retirement, while giving investors the ability to distribute income on a periodic basis. Investors even have the ability to choose when and potentially how much their payouts will be.”  

For more information on the entire suite of Amerivest Portfolios, visit http://www.tdameritrade.com/planningretirement/portfoliosolutions/overview.html.
Benefits November 21, 2011

Printing Company Accused of Firing Capable Worker with Cancer

November 21, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Journal Disposition, the former operator of IPC Print Services, Inc. in St. Joseph, Michigan, has agreed to settle a disability discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for $55,000.  
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The lawsuit charged that Journal Disposition terminated a long-time employee who had been diagnosed with cancer because he exhausted his time under its short-term disability insurance policy. The policy provided 26 weeks of leave within a rolling 12-month period. Prior to the exhaustion of his leave, the employee returned to work, and began working part-time hours while he received chemotherapy. He was able to perform all the essential functions of his job, however, when his benefit was exhausted under the policy, the company summarily terminated him and made him eligible for rehire once he was able to work full-time.

According to the EEOC, at the time of the discharge, the employee made an accommodation request to continue working part-time until his chemotherapy ended five months later. The company acknowledged the request, but applied the policy without considering any other factors, such as his ability to perform the job, the reasonableness of his request or if the request provided an undue hardship to the company. The EEOC states this conduct violates the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

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Under the terms of the consent decree, Journal Disposition will pay the employee $55,000. Since the employer no longer operated the facility, no other equitable relief was required.

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