Plan Education | Compass Corporate Retirement Solutions BLOG

11 Sep

Workers Turn to Employers, Advisers for Retirement Help

Rebecca Moore

September 10, 2009 — A new study shows that most workers do not understand their retirement savings plans as well as other employer-provided benefits.

One in three (34%) Americans polled said they have little or no understanding of their retirement plan and three in four (74%) said they have less than a complete understanding, according to a release of results from The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. Employees indicated they had a better understanding of other benefits provided through their employer, such as medical coverage and life insurance.
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04 Sep

PSCA Offers Free 401(k) Day Materials

Nevin E. Adams

August 25, 2009 — No matter how tight your—or your plan sponsor clients’—budget is, the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA) has materials available that will fit within it.

In years past, PSCA has made portions of their annual 401(k) Day campaign available to the public; however, most materials were reserved for PSCA members only.However, PSCA has announced that this year it is making their annual 401(k) Day communication and education campaign available free to plan sponsors throughout the country.
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01 Sep

10 Things You’re (Probably) Doing Wrong—or Not Doing Right—as a Plan Fiduciary

IMHO: “To Do” List
Nevin E. Adams, JD

http://www.planadviser.com/NewsColumnists.aspx?id=6468
August 16, 2009 —

Being a plan fiduciary is a tough job—and one that, it’s probably fair to say—is underappreciated, if not undercompensated. In my experience, most who find themselves in that role (see “IMHO: Duty Calls”) I think do an admirable job of living up to the spirit, if not the letter, of their responsibilities.
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31 Aug

Use of Asset Allocation Funds Helps Participants Diversify

August 19, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The fact that 20% of participants in defined contribution plans administered by The Vanguard Group invested their entire nest eggs in an asset allocation fund at year-end 2008 helped shield the participants from the market’s turmoil during the year, new Vanguard research indicated.
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17 Aug

The process of picking a co-fiduciary

Delegating such a major responsibility requires prudence, planning and procedures

By Blaine F. Aikin
August 16, 2009

By definition, prudence involves the exercise of skill and good judgment in the use of resources. It is a core fiduciary duty. Consistent with the stature of fiduciary obligations as the highest known to law, fiduciaries are expected to ensure that investments entrusted to their care are managed with the skill and judgment of a professional.
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16 Aug

The practical side of being a fiduciary

By Jerry Kalish
August 1, 2009
It’s a tough world out there now for retirement plan fiduciaries. Buffeted by the most complex set of forces since ERISA arrived in 1974, plan fiduciaries today must cope with heightened compliance enforcement by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor, increasing litigation by plan participants and tightened fiduciary liability insurance markets.Despite all these forces that are swirling around, there are some practical ways that fiduciaries can effectively manage their responsibilities. But before you say, “I’m not a fiduciary,” you should double-check. As an HR/benefits executive, you may be a fiduciary if you:
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