Defined Contribution

More than 30 lawsuits have been filed against 401(k) plan sponsors in the past few years, leaving little doubt that the retirement field remains strewn with legal landmines.

The future of Californias public pension system, the nations largest, will most likely include higher employer contribution rates that will depend on just how much return its investments generate.

Politics aside, tax reform is coming and it could well mean an overhaul of the pension system including a government takeover.

Participation in defined contribution retirement plans reached an all-time high last year, according to a report by Aon Hewitt.

Thanks to a decline in recordkeeping costs, fees paid to manage retirement investment accounts have seen another drop this year, a survey of defined contribution plan sponsors has found.

The funding levels of pension plans sponsored by S&P 1500 companies jumped to 91 percent in September, its highest point since October 2008.