Investment Instruments

Towers Watson research indicates companies are still committed to retaining DB benefits for new employees, as a recruitment and retention tool.

The Plan Sponsor Council of Americas 2012 403(b) survey found that more plans offered automatic enrollment in 2011 compared to 2010 and nearly half offered target-date funds as their default investment option.

Pacific Life expanded its list of variable annuity products with Fidelity VIP FundsManager 60% and First Trust/Dow Jones Dividend & Income Allocation Portfolio.

Though it can be helpful in wealth transfer, retirement advisors have been avoiding conversations about life insurance with their clients.

A company that helps retirement planners think about acute health care costs is adding a tool planners can use to analyze long-term care costs.

Despite improvement in nonprofit retirement plans, financial advisors are needed to close the still yawning gap between 403(b)s and their corporate cousins, 401(k)s.

The database provides real-time data on more than 100,000 variable annuity subaccounts and 1,950 annuity contracts.

Nevin Adams was named director of the American Savings Education Council, a program of the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute, as part of his responsibilities as director of education and external relations at EBRI.