"Effective for plan years beginning after December 31, 2024, SECURE 2.0, Section 101 requires 401(k) and 403(b) plans to automatically enroll participants upon becoming eligible to an employer-sponsored plan.... SECURE 2.0 formalizes the favorable corrective contribution calculations for missed deferrals and allows the favorable correction terms to apply to terminated employees and to be used even if the IRS discovers the error first."  MORE >>

"U.S. corporate defined benefit plans are healthier than they've been in decades, and companies should think about keeping them so they can take advantage of surplus assets ... [A pension surplus] could provide capital to pay for retiree healthcare benefits, for establishing follow-on pension funds, and to provide capital for M&A activity, although not all possibilities apply for all companies."  MORE >>

"[R]esearchers found that behavioral rather than economic factors account for high withdrawal rates at job separation, and the employer match might be to blame.... [A] 50% increase in employer/employee match rate increases leakage probability by 6.3% at job termination.... With the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that the average worker will have 12.4 jobs in a career, the findings make a strong case for auto portability within the retirement plan system, something SECURE 2.0 addressed."  MORE >>

"As the American workforce grows increasingly diverse, plan sponsors are revising their retirement benefits and financial wellness programs to meet the needs of all employees.... Here [are] some of the ways that sponsors can help improve outcomes among diverse demographic groups."  MORE >>

"Nevada lawmakers are again proposing a state-supported retirement plan for private-sector workers who lack coverage.... [The bill] would require employers to automatically enroll all covered employees and withhold their payroll-deducted contributions. It would also require employers to distribute informational materials, disclosure statements, forms, and instructions concerning the program to covered employers."  MORE >>

"Ultimately, although Historical and Regime-Based Monte Carlo models seemed to perform better than the Traditional and Reduced-CMA models, advisors are generally limited to whichever methods are used by their financial planning software (most of which currently use the Traditional model)."  MORE >>

"Recently, the American Academy of Actuaries released a practice note on considerations involved in consulting on fixed rate plans.... [T]he Social Security system is essentially a fixed rate pension plan."  MORE >>

"If you have vested incentive stock options or non-qualified stock options, you are able to choose when to exercise the right to purchase them.... If the exercise prices are close to what you see in the open market, you don't have much leverage. In addition to evaluating the leverage, what is the trajectory of the company? ... What happens if the company sells or if you are laid off? Are there certain windows of time the options need to be exercised and/or sold? Make sure to review what will happen to your stock and when."  MORE >>