February 15, 2006 Today's sponsor: ASPPA • Working for America's Retirement™ (Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
DOL to Ease Rollovers from Orphaned Retirement Plans Excerpt: "The US Labor Department (DoL) reportedly plans to unveil new rules this spring to allow financial institutions to release 401(k) assets contained in a defunct plan so participants can roll the money over to another savings program." (PLANSPONSOR.com: one-time registration required) How Well Are Employees Saving and Investing in 401(k) Plans -- 2005 Universe Benchmarks (PDF) 4 pages. Excerpt: "Highlights from a comprehensive study of how employees benefit and fail to benefit from 401(k) plans. The results of this study can be used by plan sponsors as a benchmark to shape plan stricture and target communication." (Hewitt Associates) Survey Highlights: Trends and Experiences in 401(k) Plans, 2005 (PDF) 4 pages. Excerpt: "The highlights of this biennial Hewitt survey present information and insights on key aspects of 401(k) plan design, investments, education, communication, and administration. Nineteen percent of Fortune 500® companies participated in the survey." (Hewitt Associates) Retirement Plan Versus Rollover IRAs Excerpt: "Many retiring workers are tempted to roll over their retirement savings into the unknown world of IRAs. But The Early Show financial adviser Ray Martin has some compelling reasons why doing so might not be the best idea." (CBSNews.com) When Access Is Denied to Your 401(k) Excerpt: "As worries mount about the security of retirement accounts, some investors are encountering problems getting access to the one type of account that seemed immune from troubles: the 401(k)." (The Wall Street Journal via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Should I Take Advantage of the Self-Directed Brokerage Account Offered by My 401(k)? Excerpt: "It's tempting to think that by following the market and doing some research that we can outperform the market averages and bulk up our nest eggs. But studies show that the more people trade, the less they typically earn, both because the cost of trading drags down returns and because most people aren't very good at timing their moves in and out of individual securities." (CNNMoney.com) UK Pension Regulator Issues Code of Practice for Funding Excerpt: "The UK Pensions Regulator's code of practice on funding defined benefit pension schemes goes into effect tomorrow." (PLANSPONSOR.com: one-time registration required) United Airlines Workers Seek Answers on Pensions Excerpt: "The government-chartered pension agency has been holding meetings around the country with United workers -- many of whom will not get the payments they were once promised because of restrictions imposed by pension insurance laws." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required) Overview: Underfunded Plans Must File Online to Comply with ERISA Sec. 4010 Excerpt: "For the first time, underfunded plans are required to file online at the PBGC website in order to comply with ERISA §4010 requirements. Certain underfunded plans are required to provide the PBGC with additional financial, actuarial, and other identifying information beyond the annual Form 5500 requirements in order to comply with ERISA §4010. Last year, online electronic filing, referred to as e-4010 filing, was optional." (CCH INCORPORATED) Overview: Higher PBGC Premium Rates Apply to February 28 Filings (PDF) 2 pages. (Milliman) Italian Government Postpones Change in TFR Law until 2008 (PDF) 2 pages. Excerpt: "Employers have been given two years to prepare for new termination indemnity requirements under pension reform legislation adopted last December by the Italian government." (Towers Perrin) Plan for Automatic IRAs Proposed Excerpt: "A plan for using payroll deductions for automatic individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for employees has been proposed by The Heritage Foundation and The Retirement Security Project, with support from the AARP. [The plan is based on the 34 page working paper titled: 'Pursuing Universal Retirement Security Through Automatic IRAs' available at http://www.retirementsecurityproject.org/pubs/File/AutoIRAworkingpaper.pdf.]" (PLANSPONSOR.com: one-time registration required) Extreme Retirement Planning Makeover Excerpt: "What does it take to go from $83 in savings to having more than $150,000 in the retirement kitty in less than two years? The financial equivalent to stomach-stapling and tag-team liposuction? Nope. It's a retirement regimen we can all follow." (The Motley Fool) E-Form Would Give Workers Retirement Planning Information Excerpt: "The technology will boost the transparency of retirement plan information for workers, investors and retirees and help them make retirement planning decisions, according to the Labor Department. It will also strengthen enforcement efforts by the Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation." (BenefitNews Connect) Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General Apart at the Seams: The Collapse of Private Pension and Health Care Protections Excerpt: "In today's world of global competition old traditions of employer-employee loyalties are a distant memory and companies have been shedding benefit commitments as rapidly as possible." (The Century Foundation) Newly Posted Press Releases Call For Specialized 401(k) Investment Advice Service Is Answered (Zacks IFE) Union Central Retirement and Investment Services Highly Ranked in Two Surveys (Union Central Life Insurance Company) Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Retirement Compliance and Administration Associate for Towers Perrin in NJ Call Center Representative for The Newport Group in NC Defined Contribution Conversion Specialist for Loren D. Stark Company, Inc. in TX Investment Manager for W.W. Grainger in IL Pension Administrator for The Benefits Consulting Group, Inc. in IL Defined Benefit New Business Consultant for New York Life Investment Management LLC in MA Relationship/Implementation Manager for John Mulligan & Associates, Inc. in CT, NJ, NY, PA Proposal Quality Manager for New York Life Investment Management LLC in MA Product Development Manager for New York Life Investment Management LLC in NJ Senior Investment Specialist for New York Life Investment Management LLC in MA Retirement Plan Analyst for Invesmart, Inc. in MA Handy Links:
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