Twenty-six years ago today, President Reagan signed a sweeping bipartisan tax reform that chopped the top individual income tax rate from 50% to 28%; curbed special deductions, exclusions and breaks; gave most families a tax cut; left the richest 1% paying a slightly higher share of taxes; and didn... READ MORE

We all know it’s hard to get participants to focus on their retirement plans, but apparently many of them don’t even know how much they are deferring, according to a survey by T. Rowe Price. In an interview that aired on Fox Business News, T. Rowe’s John Ritter indicated this seems to be the case.... READ MORE

What are the three most common mistakes made by investors? According to a survey of advisers by Chris Carosa, they are:• trying to beat the market;• playing it safe; and• timing the market.Investors either get too aggressive — which leads to adviser turnover — or they get too conservative,... READ MORE

A main focus of this year’s presidential election campaign — in the debates as well as the candidates’ TV and print ads — has been the plight of middle class Americans, with both candidates promising to relieve the tax burden on the middle class. But did you know that tax-deferred contributions to... READ MORE

In a simple but complete checklist, T. Rowe Price details all the duties of a plan fiduciary, along with guidelines on how to best complete them. The checklist includes areas like:• Roles and responsibilities – who, what and how• Investments – IPS monitoring and compliance• Admin – process and... READ MORE

We’ve been hearing why ETFs make sense in 401(k) plans for a long time. But especially in light of the DOL’s fee disclosure regulations — which highlight cost and transparency, two of ETFs’ advantages over traditional mutual funds – perhaps their time has truly come. Providers large and small,... READ MORE

I was asked recently about the so-called “4% rule.” That’s the rule of thumb that many financial advisors rely on as a formula for how much money can be withdrawn from retirement savings every year (generally adjusted for inflation) without running out of money. (Certified financial planner William... READ MORE

The Internal Revenue Service announced on Oct. 19 the annual cost-of-living adjustments affecting dollar limitations and thresholds for pension plans and other retirement-related items (i.e., IRAs, SIMPLE plans, etc.) for the 2013 tax year. In general, many of the pension plan limitations will... READ MORE

Here are four of my favorite new resources for plan advisors on selling:How to Crack the 401k Plan MarketAlthough the sales cycle for selling a 401k plan can be quite long, averaging anywhere from three to 12 months, there are many ways for advisors to improve their odds of selling 401k plans. This... READ MORE

So, what are some early anecdotal results of the 408(b)(2) requirements among plan fiduciaries? That depends on whether the fiduciary is diligent or not, according to new research by the law firm Bryan Cave. Overall, very few plan sponsors were able to determine on their own whether their fees were... READ MORE

Plan sponsors are required by the IRS and/or the DOL to provide notices to eligible employees and plan participants at specific times of the year related to the status of the plan or the participants’ accounts. A list from by Baden Retirement Plan Services (an Ascensus company) provides a quick... READ MORE