Investment Instruments

Total U.S. money market mutual fund assets fell $2.95 billion to $2.636 trillion for the week that ended Wednesday, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

The billion-dollar health reform idea, how not to sweat open enrollment and the retirement conundrum

After growing sharply throughout the 1990s, participation rates in 401(k)s leveled off during the next decade, especially during the period between 2005 and 2009, according to trend analysis from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Public pension assets declined more than $726 billion for state and local public employee retirement systems in 2009, according to a new report by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The long-term care insurance market continues to be plagued by adverse claims experience and poor overall results, which has led to rate instability, insurer solvency concerns, and market exits by several major insurers, Fitch Ratings said Wednesday.

Plan Sponsors need to make sure they dont fall for the fee trap when DOL-require plan disclosure of all service provider fees begins next April.

The market crash of 2008 prompted many individuals to learn more about and take better control of their retirement assets. Because of this trend, many companies offer online tools to help plan participants plug in numbers and see just how well they have planned for retirement.

With applications for Social Security Disability Insurance reaching 275,981 in September 2011, 19 percent higher than in September 2010, Allsup recommends working with a representative when approaching the Social Security Administration with a claim.