John Iekel

A bill currently before the Georgia legislature would affect the exercise of fiduciary duty regarding the investment of retirement plan assets.

It is now possible to offer plan participants in 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans the option to treat employer contributions as Roth contributions, under the SECURE 2.0 Act.

The solvency of Social Security is not a new concern. It’s been on a slow—or, at times, high—burn for more than 40 years.

Automatic enrollment of eligible employees in the Hawaii Retirement Savings Program is closer to being put in place.

UPDATE: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee did, in fact, sign into law on March 28 the retirement savings bill, becoming the 16th state to enact a state-run auto-IRA program. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is scheduled to sign into law legislation that will create Washington Saves, a state-run auto-IRA program.

UPDATE: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee did, in fact, sign into law on March 28 the retirement savings bill, becoming the 16th state to enact a state-run auto-IRA program. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is scheduled to sign into law legislation that will create Washington Saves, a state-run auto-IRA program.

The Treasury Department, the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) have announced that they are extending the period during which they will accept comments on the effectiveness of existing reporting and disclosure requirements for retirement plans.

Collective investment trusts (CITs) are a greater focus of attention and activity in the wake of SECURE 2.0, as a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report highlights.

Recent research doesn’t vouch for that, but does suggest that at the very least, confidence in a financially secure retirement is more likely among generations that have been around longer.

There is strong support among current and potential participants for state-run retirement plans that provide coverage for those whose employers do not, according to a recent study. And a panel of experts and state officials offer ideas regarding why.

The Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) is calculated automatically each year and is intended to reflect the change in the cost of living over the last year.

Offering a retirement plan carries with it responsibilities, but also benefits—for participants, dependents, and beneficiaries on the one hand, and employers and plan sponsors on the other. So, making the most of a plan maximizes its worth to them all.

Vermont Saves on June 27 announced that it has become a member of the Partnership for a Dignified Retirement, an interstate consortium whose other members are Colorado, Delaware, and Maine.

Confidence in financial readiness to retire is robust, despite the vagaries of inflation and other economic factors and the after-effects of the pandemic. And that confidence is especially attuned to participating in a retirement plan.

Offering a retirement plan carries with it responsibilities, but also benefits—for participants, dependents, and beneficiaries on the one hand, and employers and plan sponsors on the other.

The term “retirement” seems straightforward enough, but it may not be as simple as it seems at first blush.

This is the second in a series concerning the practical tips for making the most of a retirement plan. This installment concerns optimizing the effectiveness of a plan through its elements.

Support for the Social Security system is broad and deep, according to a newly released issue brief and industry experts who discussed its findings and their import.

Much has been said about the need to boost retirement saving and the key role employers have in achieving that goal. Recent research offers some insight into mechanisms by which an employer can facilitate saving, and employees’ receptivity to saving.  Employee Interests To effectively motivate employees, it is first necessary to have an idea what employees want and are interested in.

Oregon may not have been the first state to enact a measure establishing a state-run program to provide retirement plan coverage to private-sector employees whose employers do not, but it was the first to get one up and running. And that program is showing impressive growth.