In a possible tweak to Republican lawmakers, President Biden elevated Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su into the presidential line of succession, causing an angry reaction from the GOP. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)... READ MORE

COLAs aren’t cutting it. The 3.2% Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) is well above the 2.6% average over the past two decades, according to The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). Still, “80% of retirees think Congress should beef up inflation protection by providing a COLA that more... READ MORE

While tough to evaluate with apples-to-apples comparisons, Mercer and CFA Institute again released their annual Global Pension Index, which compares 47 retirement income systems, covering 64% of the world’s population. It found that the Netherlands’ regained the top spot, with Iceland and Denmark... READ MORE

Americans' dismal savings rate is a perennially talked about topic, yet COVID pushed emergency savings to the fore, illustrating just how unprepared most workers are for a major (or even modest) expense or income interruption.   Fidelity Investments reported last week that a lack of emergency... READ MORE

Forget Fintech—Regtech is all the rage. Identifying, implementing, and monitoring various state and federal regulations that apply to financial services is (obviously) a daunting task. Even the most conscientious firm can inadvertently get tripped up. Automating helps, but why not take full... READ MORE

Where are we as an industry in providing one-on-one financial planning as an employee benefit? Is there any significant movement on that front? “There’s more acceptance and recognition of the need,” intellicents Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Brad Arends said. “We get a lot of inquiries,... READ MORE

A new Cerulli report argued that application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable seamless transmission of data within the wealth stack are increasingly important. “As financial planning increasingly becomes the core element upon which investment advice, tax planning, and estate planning... READ MORE

On Tuesday, an explanation and history of fiduciary liability insurance occurred at the ERISA 403(b) Conference in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion titled “Fiduciary Liability Insurance” featured Euclid Fiduciary’s Daniel Aronowitz, Sompo International’s Joe Kelly, and Marsh McLennan’s Mitch... READ MORE

“403(b)s are not 401(k)s, and damage is done by not understanding the difference,” PenServ Plan Services President Sue Diehl emphasized at the outset of a session dedicated to a comparison of the two at the ERISA 403(b) Advisor Conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday. She then listed several... READ MORE