Ret plans - info for employees (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Ret plans - info for employees, gathered by BenefitsLink.comWhen a Retirement Plan Isn't a Savings Plan- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "What's the difference between saving for retirement, on the one hand, and plain old saving, on the other Teresa Ghilarducci, an economist at the New School, has a provocative book out, entitled 'When I'm Sixty-Four: The Plot against Pensions and the Plan to Save Them,' which forces us to ask that question very seriously." (Conde Nast)http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/market-movers/2008/06/01/when-a-retirement-plan-isnt-... Study of Retirement Income Account Allocations Among Equities, Bonds and Fixed Income Annuities (PDF)- (Found June 24, 2008 ) 52 pages. Excerpt: "The objective of this study was to gain insight on how alternative combinations of retirement income asset classes might have performed had a full range of retirement income solutions been offered at the start of this test period." (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company)https://wwwrs.massmutual.com/retire/spd/img3162.pdf Tracking Retirement Savings Concerns During a Falling Market- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "As the level of responsibility an individual has in saving for retirement increases, combined with a boost in longevity, especially for the well off, and healthcare expenses eating up a bigger-than-anticipated chunk of those savings in retirement, the troubled markets of 2008 may drive clients into a frenzy, anxious about how they are supposed to save for retirement while there's less money to go around." (Investment Advisor)http://www.investmentadvisor.com/article.php?article=8830 More Than Two-Thirds of 401(k) Plan Participants Have Inefficient Portfolios- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Financial Engines examined nearly 1 million participant 401(k) portfolios from 82 plan sponsors, with a focus on three key dimensions of investor decision making: risk and diversification, company stock, and participant contributions." (Wolters Kluwer)http://hr.cch.com/news/pension/052208.asp Most of Fortune 100 Continues to Back Defined Benefit Plans- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The pace of retirement plan changes among FORTUNE 100 companies is stabilizing, and most still offer defined benefit plans to their new employees, according to an analysis by Watson Wyatt Worldwide." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type11/?RECORD_ID=41579 Retirement Readiness: What Difference Does a Pension Make- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "This brief reviews the evidence on the role DB pensions play in ensuring that older Americans have the resources they need to be self-sufficient in retirement. It examines recent trends in pension coverage and discusses the effect these trends have had on the state of retirement readiness among American workers. Finally, it points in the direction of areas worthy of exploration for policymakers seeking to address specific retirement security goals." (National Institute on...http://www.nirsonline.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=49 Lump Sum vs. Annuity: Which Is Better- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The simplest analysis compares the monthly payment offered to what you could generate yourself by investing the lump sum at a similar level of risk." (Gather Inc.)http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977350398 U.S. Retirement Assets Grew 7% in 2007, Investment Company Institute Reports- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The ICI reports that Americans held $17.6 trillion in retirement assets (which included IRAs, defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, governmental plans, and annuities) at the end of 2007, up $1.1 trillion from year-end 2006." (Wolters Kluwer)http://hr.cch.com/news/pension/052308a.asp 'Get Rich Slow' Retirement Game Motivates Active Engagement in Retirement Planning- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Participants make decisions for a fictional couple in a fun, non-threatening group setting. They experience the implications of their decisions and also chance events. They come away with an overview of the retirement planning process and the hands-on experience essential in moving ahead. Get Rich Slow is currently available to individual users free of charge.' (Center for Retirement Research at Boston College)http://crr.bc.edu/special_projects/retirement_game.html Refresh Your Retirement Plans Now- (Found June 24, 2008 ) Excerpt: "For investors nearing retirement, the continuing stock-market turmoil should sound an alarm: Give your retirement accounts a thorough checkup sooner rather than later." (The Wall Street Journal)http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121166715783819959.html?mod=googlenews_wsj |