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As defined contribution (DC) plans become more popular than defined benefit (DB) plans, American workers are increasingly responsible for their retirement savings. Because retirement plan participants' portfolio allocation is constrained by the available funds in the plan, the construction of a plan's investment menu has become extremely important. No research has evaluated fund selection in retirement plans or compared plans involving an advisor with self-directed plans. To fill this research gap, this study employs cross-sectional, nationwide data that include 5,570 retirement plans with 100 or more participants in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Results show that in most cases, using advisors is not related to plan performance. Plan sponsors should require advisors to periodically evaluate the performance of plans under their management using objective measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted an annual survey of undergraduate students taking finance courses over the past 5 years (2009–2014). Our results showed that although more than 70% of students considered the financial planning profession to some extent, the percentage of students who had seriously considered it declined over time, despite the increasing number of new hires in the area. Our regression models showed that students with a higher level of related experience were more likely to show increased interest over time and that male students were less likely to change their minds regarding their decisions to become a financial planner. These results suggest that academic programs need to form stronger partnerships with the industry and to facilitate better communications with female students regarding the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from a university survey of 2,799 employees were examined to determine age cohort differences in retirement planning activities in the aftermath of the Great Recession. A life course approach and logistic regression were used to assess whether members of four different age cohorts altered their retirement planning activities. Older cohorts were more likely to have sought advice from a financial planner but were less likely to have increased time spent educating themselves about financial topics. Older cohorts were also less likely to be saving more for retirement and more likely to be delaying retirement compared to the youngest cohort. The youngest cohort members were relatively more likely to be confident that they will have sufficient funds to live comfortably after retirement. Older cohorts responded to the Great Recession by seeking safety for their retirement assets, and they resigned themselves to working longer before retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most military installations have the resources available to operate as an independent community. However, immediate access to these resources tends to promote societal disconnection for the civilian military spouse (CMS). This disconnection leaves the CMS with many misconceptions when it comes to certain life skills. The Department of Defense (DoD) has attempted to answer these concerns with the introduction of well being plans to open the door for the CMS to seek personal financial assistance. However, this study found that CMSs preferred to seek financial assistance from formal, nonmilitary resources such as professional financial planner/ counselor and informal financial resources such as family and other military spouses. The findings provided implications for marketing, financial literacy program consistency, and military retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]