“Headline risk” associated with municipal bonds went up today when the U.S. Census Bureau released data that state government tax collections totaled $715.2 billion in fiscal year 2009. That's a decrease of nearly $67 billion (8.6%) from fiscal 2008.
BrightScope Inc., a provider of 401(k) plan ratings, today introduced a new online tool that provides investors with personalized data about how much they are paying in fees in their retirement plans.
Caterpillar Inc.'s announcement that it has reached a tentative settlement over the fees it charged its 401(k) plan participants may be bad news for plan sponsors, their advisers and mutual fund companies.
New targets have surfaced for lawsuits over 401(k) fees: small retirement plans, their investment advisers and service providers.
The suspension of 2009 required-minimum distributions from retirement plans and IRAs was enacted as part of the Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008, which was signed into law Dec. 23.
Lord Abbett & Co. is offering discounts to clients who open an individual retirement account by April 15.
Although Aviva USA Corp. already has an established strength in its lineup of indexed products, the insurer has its eye on the next innovation: a guarantee wrapper with a managed account or 401(k), according to chief executive Christopher J. Littlefield.
U.S. clients with more than 1 million Swiss Francs in offshore accounts with UBS could be ratted out.
The latest version of the tax credit for first-time homebuyers has two new features that may make the credit more widely available, which means more clients with Roth conversion income may be affected.
If there is one word to describe Donald Robert Pitti, the financial planning pioneer who died Dec. 18 at the age of 80, it would be “enthusiasm.”
A judge in Massachusetts throws the book at an adviser who swindled the heirs of gilded-age industrialist Frederick Ayer, Jr.
Advisers have a real opportunity to serve the needs of clients who are saving for retirement — especially women.
The nation's 10.2% unemployment rate — the highest level in 23 years — is being viewed by some analysts not as a peak but as the beginning of a sustained period of above-average unemployment.
Total assets in target date funds will grow to $2.6 trillion by 2018, attracting 80% of new and reallocated flows into defined-contribution plans for the next decade, according to a projection in a recent Casey Quirk & Associates LLC report.
In the wake of the performance meltdown of many target date funds, a growing number of 401(k) plans are adding target risk funds to their lineup.
Many of your retired clients are discovering that their accumulated savings are insufficient to meet their current expenses, which translates into a need for more retirement income.
A judge in Los Angeles Superior Court pushed back a lawsuit against AIG from a financial planner who once worked for an AIG broker-dealer.
Americans are more likely to turn to family members and friends — rather than advisers — for financial advice, according to data from Sun Life Financial Inc.
The SEC is backpedaling on a proposal that would require advisory firms that deducted fees from client accounts to undergo costly surprise audits.
The economic downturn is hurting the associations that represent financial planners, investment advisers and big brokerages.
