Insights

Target date funds are wildly popular in 401(k) plans and are found in almost 80% of plans today. The little-known secret? They can be among the most expensive funds among the investment options. According to Morningstar, quoted in today's Wall St. Journal article on...

I recently covered what I thought was the biggest problem in 401(k)s today - advisors who don't specialize in qualified retirement plans. This is the first of several parts addressing other problems in 401(k) plans. High fees are a risk to both employer and employees...

What's the #1 problem with 401(k) plans today? I can think of several strong contenders for that title, mainly in the small plan market, which I define as under $25 million in assets. The biggest issues include high fees, lack of good participant education, poor...

Let me follow up to Saturday’s note about putting the Brexit in perspective.  Much of the following comes from the “Up & Down Wall Street” column in the June 27, 2016 issue of Barron’s. Positives for Britain Economic Strength - Britain is the 2nd largest economy...

There are news stories galore on the effects of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union after Brits voted to leave the European Union, the so-called Brexit. However, there is almost nothing of substance in these articles and quick videos, just people wanting to...

There is an increasing pressure on 401(k) fees and I heartily welcome that. In fact, I am part of that movement - replacing bundled plans charging a % of assets with flat fee providers. I love to get rid of provider fees that grow rapidly every year without a...

The State of Washington this year became the first state to begin a state-run retirement plan available to all WA workers and businesses. The idea is to lower administrative costs and provide access to a retirement plan for employees of businesses that don't offer a...

Saw the quote at the bottom in the WSJ this morning, referring to the Memorial Day weekend just ahead. A man who will not fight for anything is not a man. Today, we are having to fight for things we used to take for granted. But the biggest thanks goes to those...

Ever since ERISA was passed in 1974, advisors to retirement plans have been required to “act in the best interest of plan participants.” Unfortunately, brokers, insurance agents and bank financial salespeople have not been held to that standard, known as the fiduciary...