401K | Compass Corporate Retirement Solutions BLOG

11 Sep

Obama Administration Launches Retirement Savings Initiatives

PLANADVISER Staff

September 05, 2009 — As the nation turns its attention to the three-day Labor Day weekend, the White House is talking about retirement security.

With 401(k) Day less than a week away (September 11), and the Labor Day weekend upon us, President Obama’s weekly radio address was titled “Labor Day and Fair Rewards for Hard Work.” Along with that address, the President and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced “new steps to make it easier for American families to save for retirement.”
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11 Sep

Participant Equity Allocations Rising, but Slowly

Rebecca Moore

September 10, 2009 — Participants in 401(k) plans continued a cautious move into equity during August, with a total of $203 million shifted from fixed income into equities, according to the Hewitt 401(k) Index.

Hewitt said transfer activities were equity-oriented on 62% of the days during the month, and many equity asset classes realized net inflows during the month. Premixed funds, including target-risk and target-date portfolios, received approximately one-third of the net transfers, with $147 million moving into this asset class.
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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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04 Sep

Don’t Kill Your 401(k)

Published: 03 Sep 2009 23:27:12 PST

Author: Nancy Mann Jackson

Is the recession making it difficult to fork over your company’s 401(k) contribution to your employees? If so, you’re not alone. The Pension Rights Center’s running list of companies that have changed or temporarily suspended their 401(k) contributions since last summer has reached 300. Yet, the list is dominated by large employers such as American Express and Xerox.
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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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01 Sep

The DB(k): Pension of the Future

When hiring picks up again, this blend of defined benefit and 401(k) features will help snag top talent.

By Joan Pryde, Senior Tax Editor, the Kiplinger letters

http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/DBk_pension_of_future_090819.html

August 19, 2009

An attractive new option for employer sponsored retirement plans becomes available next year. The “DB(k)” offers businesses with 500 or fewer employees an opportunity to provide a strong retirement plan for their employees with fewer hassles and less financial drain than a traditional pension plan.
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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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31 Aug

In This Corner: Who is getting rich from my 401(k)? Not me

Published: August 30, 2009

Workers have long counted on their 401(k) plans to sustain them during retirement, only to watch helplessly as they plummet in value. With hints that the worst of the economic meltdown may finally be over, 401(k) participants are looking for direction and guidance on how to get their accounts back to where they once were.
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31 Aug

Survey Examines Design Features, Investment Experience Of Defined Contribution Plans In 2008

CCH® PENSION — 08/31/09

From Spencer’s Benefits Reports: In How America Saves 2009, Vanguard examines the plan design features and investment experience of more than 2,200 defined contribution plans for which the company provides recordkeeping services. Ninety percent of these plans have a 401(k) or 403(b) employee contribution feature, while the remaining 10% are plans such as profit-sharing plans to which only the employer contributes.
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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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