Senate committee examines 401(k) plan leakage
Concerns that the slowing economy may be causing more people to tap their retirement savings were aired at a recent Senate hearing. Mercer submitted written testimony on how countries around the world address the challenge of retirement plan leakage.
(Select News,
23 Jul 2008)
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DOL proposes new 401(k) fee disclosures
Plan fiduciaries would face new requirements for communicating 401(k) fee information to participants under a new DOL proposal. DOL is seeking greater transparency of investment and administrative fees in plans with participant-directed investments.
(GRIST,
22 Jul 2008, 1 page)
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Social Security launches Retirement Estimator
A new planning tool that enables individuals to get personalized estimates of their Social Security retirement benefits is on the SSA website. The permits users to change stop-work dates and expected earnings to determine different outcomes. (Select News, 23 Jul 2008) More
Prepare now for 2009 retiree drug subsidy
Applications for the 2009 Medicare retiree drug subsidy (RDS) are due by Oct. 2 for calendar-year plans, so employers should start the process now. The RDS requires annual applications, even from sponsors that previously received the subsidy.
(GRIST,
23 Jul 2008, 1 page)
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Handling IRS retirement plan audits
To help employers prepare for retirement plan audits, IRS speakers at recent conferences have advised plan sponsors to be proactive in establishing internal controls, self-correcting errors and offering to research issues arising in an audit.
(GRIST,
21 Jul 2008, 3 pages)
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Supreme Court urged to affirm QDRO ruling
Business groups are urging the US Supreme Court to uphold an appellate court's ruling that retirement plans pay benefits in accord with plan documents, including QDROs, but not external documents such as nonqualified divorce decrees.
(Select News,
18 Jul 2008)
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The under-annuitization puzzle
Under-annuitization is often a source of concern for those in the retirement industry. Survey results reported in this article explain that how annuities are communicated has a definite impact on how they will be regarded by potential customers. (TIAA-CREF Institute, 23 Jul 2008, 12 pages) More
European DC can learn from Australian success
Developing defined contribution plans for the European population presents a challenge, but, as this article explains, Australia's experiences provide useful ideas on how to proceed.
(European Pensions and Investments News,
23 Jul 2008,
3 pages)
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Social Security international update
The US Social Security Administration presents its monthly update on recent global developments in public and private pensions. This month developments are reported, by country, for Europe, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific.
(US Social Security Administration,
23 Jul 2008,
2 pages)
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Behavioral finance and indexing
In this article, several leading academics and practitioners highlight key findings from decades of research into behavioral investing. They discuss investor tendencies toward overconfidence and following herd mentality.
(Journal of Indexes,
23 Jul 2008,
8 pages)
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