| BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter |   |
April 11, 2007
Sponsored by: DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.
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Sexy Hedge Funds Make Their Way Into Retirement Plans
Excerpt: "A number of mutual fund companies have launched hedge-like mutual funds, sparking employers' interest in adding the investments to their 401(k) plans. But employers need to do their homework first, experts say." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Pension Plan Risk: A Global Survey Among Senior Finance Executives (PDF)
26 pages. Excerpt: "Through a survey and an interview program, this study explores executives' views on the risks to business performance posed by defined benefit plans and the steps they are taking to understand, quantify, and ultimately manage these risks." (CFO Research Services and Towers Perrin)
More on the Upcoming Beck ERISA Supreme Court Oral Argument
Excerpt: "The Supreme Court's decision in this case will determine whether an employer's adoption, modification, or termination of a pension plan can be based on its own business needs or the best interests of its employees." (Workplace Prof Blog)
Heuristics and Biases in Retirement Savings Behavior
Excerpt: "Fortunately, many effective ways to help participants are also the least costly interventions: namely, small changes in plan design, sensible default options and opportunities to increase savings rates and rebalance portfolios automatically. These design features help less sophisticated investors while maintaining flexibility for more sophisticated types." (Social Science Research Network)
Can Public Pension Fund Divestment Create a Fiduciary Risk?
Excerpt: "Executives at public pension funds may be faced with an impossible challenge: how do they follow divestment laws when doing so may mean running afoul of their fiduciary duties by not making decisions based solely on what generates maximum participant returns?" (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Opinion: Social Security Reform and Save for Your Retirement, or Else
Excerpt: "[W]hile the Social Security debate in America has been locked in political stalemate for years, other countries have moved forward with similar plans of their own. For instance, Australia instituted retirement-savings provisions that include mandatory private accounts. Although the Australian system isn't without its flaws, it provides an interesting picture of what private accounts might look like for Americans in the coming years." (The Motley Fool)
Pushing Pension Funds to Stop Investing in Companies Doing Business in Countries Backing Terrorism
Excerpt: "On its face, a drive to force public pension funds to halt investment in companies operating in countries believed to be sponsors of terrorism - primarily Iran - is in full swing. . . . But the three-year-old divestment movement has had only 'limited success' so far, admits lead advocate Christopher Holton of the Center for Security Policy, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. Not a single state has passed legislation, and only two state funds have taken any action." (Fortune via CNN.Money)
Technical Corrections Bill For PPA Not Likely; Substantive Tax Legislation Expected In 2009
Excerpt: "While benefits will not be the subject of much legislative activity on Capitol Hill in the next two years, PSCA president David Wray warned that the entire Tax Code will be up for revision in 2009 and 2010, along the lines of a major revision that occurred in the Tax Reform Act of 1986." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
Study Says Plan Sponsors Not Ready to Give Up on Defined Benefit Plans
Excerpt: "Despite a flurry of hard- and soft-freezes, a new study finds a surprisingly strong commitment to defined benefit programs among corporate plan sponsors." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
The 2007 Retirement Confidence Survey Shows the U.S. Retirement System in Transition (PDF)
28 pages. Excerpt: "The 17th annual wave of the Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) suggests that American workers may be slow to recognize how the U.S. retirement system is changing, and those who are aware of these changes may not be adapting to them in ways that are likely to secure them a comfortable retirement." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)
Baby Boomers Unsure About the Robustness of Their Nest Eggs
Excerpt: "Nearly 30% of baby boomers have saved less than $25,000 for their retirement and nearly the same amount (31%) say they will not be able to keep up their current lifestyle in retirement, according to a recent study by investment firm Scottrade." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Sponsored by: ASPPA
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| Advanced Actuarial Conference – Boston, MA, June 5-6, 2007 |
| Designed by practicing pension actuaries specifically to address their unique and specialized needs, this conference covers a wide variety of current and timely issues. Workshops and general sessions will be dedicated to topics including PPA, Future DB Policy Initiatives, Yield Curve, RP 2000 Mortality Tables and Hybrid Plans. Join your fellow pension actuary colleagues at this one of a kind event. |
| (Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) |
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Senate Passes War Funding Bill with Wage and Tax Provisions
Excerpt: "The Senate wage and tax package includes a controversial cap on annual nonqualified elective deferrals that was part of the previously passed Senate bill . . ., but that does not appear in the House legislation." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
Opinion: About Fidelity Announcement on Dropping Its Pension Plan, Enhancing Health Plan
Excerpt: "[T]here was a significant difference in this particular announcement -- a focus on concerns about paying for health care in retirement. In a Boston Globe report, a Fidelity spokesperson cited data that 71% of Fidelity workers didn't know how they would pay for health-care expenses in retirement (kind of makes one wonder about the other 29%); and as part of this shift in strategy, Fidelity will be putting $3,000 into health-care reimbursement accounts for each worker . . . ." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Newly Posted Events
Elements of State Health Reform - Individual and Employer Requirements - Webcast
Nationwide on April 17, 2007
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
Our Health, Our Workforce: Can Michigan Make Employee Health a Competitive Advantage?
in Michigan on April 26, 2007
presented by Altarum Institute
Section 409A: The Long-Awaited Final Regulations
Nationwide on April 25, 2007
presented by ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits
Newly Posted Press Releases
25th Annual Creative Pension & Benefits Seminar Targets Professionals
Ohio State University Office of Continuing Education (CEd), The
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
401 (k) Administrator - Entry Level
for Scholz, Klein & Friends Enlightened Retirement Group, Inc.
in TX
Paralegal
for 1199SEIU Benefit and Pension Funds
in NY
Plan Administrator
for The Newport Group
in FL
Regional Marketing Director
for AIG SunAmerica
in ANY STATE
Insurance Analyst / Underwriter
for Corporate Synergies Group, Inc.
in CT, DE, NJ, NY, PA
Retirement Plan Actuary
for The Newport Group
in FL, WI
Retirement Services District Manager- Major Accounts
for ADP Retirement Services
in CA, IL, IN, MN, NH, OH, WI
Junior Pension Plan Administrator
for Robin S. Weingast & Associates, Inc.
in NY
Senior Processor
for ABG-MA, a BenefitStreet Co.
in MD
401(K) Services Relationship Manager
for A.G. Edwards & Sons
in CA
401(k) Daily Account Manager
for Leggette Actuaries, Inc.
in TX
Retirement Sales Wholesaler
for ExpertPlan, Inc.
in NJ
401(k) Compliance Specialist
for 401k ASP, Inc.
in FL
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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