Retirement Plan Share Classes: Understanding the Basics
Share Class ABCs: Choose Wisely Choosing mutual funds for your retirement plan’s investment lineup can feel like wading through a sea of alphabet soup. Fund companies typically offer multiple share classes, each sporting its own unique letter. A shares, C shares, I shares, R shares — what does it all mean? Luckily, you don’t have […]
Cyber Attacks Are on the Rise, Is Your 401(k) Plan Protected?
Cyber-crime is on the rise worldwide. As a result, growing numbers of organizations are taking critical steps to protect their valuable electronic data from hackers and other cyber criminals — a process known as cybersecurity. It’s serious business, and a trend retirement plan sponsors and committees should pay attention to. In 2015, IBM’s chair, president […]
Plan Fiduciaries, do you need support?
Should we have a retirement plan committee? If you are an employer or employee who has decision-making authority over your company’s retirement plan, there is a strong chance that you are a 401(k) plan fiduciary. You have a legal obligation to operate the plan solely in the interests of the plan participants (people with retirement […]
Does Your Investment Menu Need a Tune Up?
BENCHMARKING YOUR 401(K) FUNDS Benchmarking is a retirement plan best practice that allows plan sponsors the opportunity to “take a peak under the hood” of their 401(k). The process allows you to compare your plan to similar plans, measuring key metrics such as participant saving and participation rates, fee reasonableness and service providers. Benchmarking should […]
Items Your Annual Retirement Plan Review May Be Missing
As a plan sponsor, you are no stranger to the annual retirement plan review. And believe it or not, it is that time of year again! Although you may meet quarterly or semi-annually with your advisor, a yearly plan assessment is an opportunity to evaluate the health of your plan. Many times, the focus of […]
What is 401(k) Benchmarking and Why Should You Do It?
Simply stated, benchmarking is the process of reviewing and evaluating your company retirement plan. It involves taking a look at what you are offering your employees today and deciding if it’s appropriate or needs some updating. There are four main areas to focus on when assessing your retirement plan: Plan Design Service Providers Funds Fees […]
What Does it Really Take to Retire?
As a plan sponsor, your employees rely heavily on your guidance; after all, you manage the plan that may offer their best shot at a successful retirement. When the 401(k) plan was introduced in the mid-80s, it was not intended as a standalone solution. However, as time evolved, defined contribution (DC) plans became the primary […]
Customizing Retirement Plan Design
NO “ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL” PLAN Retirement plans come in all shapes and sizes: DC Plans, DB Plans, Non-Qual, 401(k), 403(b), 401(a), 457, SEP IRA, Simple IRA, Roth IRA, Cash Balance, HSA… and any other number letter combinations that you can think of. The simple truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all version of a retirement plan; and […]
How Healthy Is Your Financial Portfolio?
Your financial portfolio contains all of the various investments that you have accumulated over the years. Whether you are planning on retiring soon, or retirement is many years in the future, it is always important to make sure that your financial portfolio is as robust as possible. With retirement planning service, you can create a […]
A Closer Look at High-Risk Investments
When you sit down with your financial planner to create a new portfolio, you may be asked whether you would prefer to place your money in high-risk or low-risk investments. High-risk investments are defined as investments that are very likely to either under-perform or over-perform based on their current statistics. If you are wondering what […]
