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The article discusses the challenges employers face when they have no clear strategy for older workers phasing out of the workforce and how they need to manage the transition of employees from full-time work to full-time retirement.

The article focuses on the trend of merging health and wealth benefits to create an overall life strategy for employees. It highlights Eastman Chemical Co. has helped its employees stay healthy for nearly two decades. It refers to a comment by Ken Forsythe, assistant vice president at Empower Retirement regarding the benefits of one financial plan merging health and wealth is also given.

The article features online bulk grocery shopping company Boxed Wholesale and mentions that it is one of the first 50 companies to sign up with 401(k) robo-adviser Betterment.

The article focuses on research which shows that women remain behind in terms of saving for retirement. It informs that Christi Koke, a designer at handbag and clothing store Coach in Leesburg, Virginia, invests well enough as required by women of her age. It mentions of data from insurance company Transamerica which shows that women's median household retirement savings is 41,000 dollars as compared to men with 88,000 dollars savings.

The article discusses the trouble of insurance companies in the U.S. to get millennials buy life and disability insurance and the difficulty in recruiting for the industry, according to The Hartford's 2015 Millennial Leadership Survey. A list is presented of disability insurers including Aetna Inc., Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, and Lincoln Financial Corp. Statistics are also given concerning the number of adults having life insurance coverage and purchasing voluntary life insurance.

The article focuses on companies that are turning towards recognition programs to increase employee retention even though employers expect to see what they are getting in return of the program.

The article offers profile of Matt Fellowes, founder of HelloWallet, a web and mobile application for employees. Topics discussed include his work as an analyst at think tank Brookings Institution, and his studying of growing financial problem of the U.S., views of Brookings vice president Bruce Katz on Fellowes' thinking of changing the world and views of Joe Mansueto, chairman of investment management firm Morningstar Inc., on Fellowes. INSET: Climbing HelloWallet¿s Ladder.

The article offers information on increase in robo-advisor, an online wealth management service, in the U.S. financial services industry. Topics discussed include views of Robyn Credico of consulting firm Towers Watson & Co., Betterment, an online investing service company, as the first robo-adviser whose technology offerings will outperform existing ones, and a table of retirement savings plan, 401(k) providers in the U.S., including outsourcing company Aon Hewitt.

The article discusses the retirement planning of the Americans along with retirement saving of Latinos and African-Americans. Topics discussed include comments from Stacy Betz of firm Mariani Enterprises Inc., regarding the participation of employees in the 401(k) retirement savings plan, an analysis of Urban Institute about Latinos and African-Americans' saving for retirement and workshop organized by MassMutual Financial Group to help Latino families understand money management. INSET: MassMutual¿s Money Makeover for Minorities.

The article focuses on financial wellness programs offered by various companies for their employees. It refers on financial wellness programs offered by bank companies. It cites CoBiz Financial Inc. which launched a financial wellness program as the crisis hit in 2008. It mentions the retirement strategy implemented by the company for its employees. INSET: Company Banks on Financial Wellness Plan.

The article discusses the importance of group life insurance and disability insurance plans in the U.S. Topics include the case of Roy Tuscany who regretted his decision not to sign up for disability insurance after injuring his back that resulted to his disability, the comments of Council for Disability Awareness president Carol Harnett and MetLife Inc. senior vice president Stephen Pontecorvo on the importance of these plans, and the study conducted by Hartford Insurance Co.

The article evaluates the health plan, health service accounts (HSA) by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and HSA Consulting Services.

The article focuses on the 401(k) plan of the U.S. company's that requires the employer to provide retirement saving contributions to the employees. Topics discussed include competition in the retirement industry, the need of employers to provide asset management, administration, and education for the employees, and the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act that requires the planners to provide services in interest of the participant.

A summary is presented of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974 which offers the U.S. workers rights and protections on retirement saving plans for the workers.

The article reports on the Employee Benefit Research Institute's 24th annual Retirement Confidence Survey, which found that only 45 percent of all workers in the U.S. say they have a 401 (k) plan at their workplace. Mathew Greenwald, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of research firm Greenwald & Associates, said that there is less of a culture of thrift than earlier. INSET: New Documentary Cracks a Few Nest Eggs.

The article focuses on whether Americans are saving enough money for their retirement. It refers to a report from the National Institute on Retirement Security, which says that 45% of the workers don't have any retirement savings. It focuses on whether 401(K) plans are good saving tools, and whether workers are taking right investment decisions. INSET: Digging Out of a Hole.

The article focuses on the 401(k) is a retirement savings plan and benefits offered to employers from the plan. Topics discussed include views of Jamie McAllister, vice president at consulting firm Callan Associates, on more benefits required by retirement plan sponsors, the U.S. Labor Department rules for plan sponsors and views of Jim O'Shaughnessy, managing partner for Sheridan Road Financial.

The article presents information on the importance of including group life and disability plans in employee benefits. It says that workforce in the U.S. is becoming older, and the number of disability claims is also increasing, however most of the employers are now focusing on health care and retirement plans, not on group life and disability. It focuses on how disability insurance as well as group life insurance may help employers in controlling increasing health care costs.

BJC HealthCare launched a brand new financial wellness program for its 32,000 employees in early 2018, only to have the provider pull the product at the end of the year because of low take-up rates. PwC's report added that employee financial stress is rising because many employer programs are still failing at addressing the key financial challenges employees have today. Employers realize that one financial wellness provider isn't going to address all issues, but it is difficult for employers to get all the niche providers they need on one platform, Ciccotti said. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a letter from U.S. Senator Patty Murray and U.S. Representative Robert C. Scott for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the safety of the private retirement system in 2019. According to the letter, it is important that retirees and workers know their savings are safe and a cyberattack will not cause the retirement they spent years planning and working for into jeopardy.

The article offers information on the growth of various retirement plans including defined contribution market and 401(k) plans in the U.S. It is noted that many retirement plan sponsors are taking help of experts to run the entire plan or certain parts of it. It also discusses the appointment of Aon Hewitt as plan administrator and consultant by retailer Home Depot Inc. to manage its 4.5 billion dollar in 401(k) assets.

Today, many employees can go straight to their 401(k) accounts for quick cash thanks to a 2018 law that makes it easier for 401(k) participants to take hardship withdrawals without having to take out a loan first. The rule, tucked in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, reverses the law that said participants had to exhaust the loan process before taking a hardship withdrawal. The rule allows plan sponsors to tinker with their plan design to require participants to take a loan out before moving to hardship withdrawal. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents information on the financial wellness plans for employees in the U.S. Topics discussed here include employers that offer 401(k) and financial wellness programs, 401(k) education and debt repayment, and the ways to support physical, financial, social and emotional needs of employees.

The article discusses the idea of employee stock ownerships (ESOPs) to make them feel empowered for the improvement to their company. It cites on favors gained by the ESOP from the soon to retire baby boomer employees. The article also discusses the promotion of ESOP by the U.S. Congress, citing the intoduction of two bills in the Hose and Senate.

The article discusses pressure on workers for dealing with personal finances. Topics discussed include financial wellness program formalised by Fidelity Investments along with defined-contribution plan sponsors pulled by it, Neil Lloyd of Mercer about plans to teach financial courage and char depicting financial wellness providers such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Participants who think they need $1.7 million to be comfortable in retirement may not be saving enough to hit that mark, a new survey from Schwab Retirement Plan Services found. Voris and Austin agreed that HR leaders can play a role in helping participants set realistic retirement goals. Voris said that it starts by helping participants understand that they are not just savers but investors. [Extracted from the article]

In fact, only 4 percent of retirees wait until the optimal age of 70 to take their Social Security benefit, a new study by robo- adviser United Income said. Fichtner suggested age 62 could simply be labeled "minimum benefit age" while age 70 could be labeled the "maximum benefit age.". [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the potential for abuse of the Private Letter Ruling issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in which it approved a student loan repayment program as a 401(k) benefit. Topics covered include amount of student loan debt facing U.S. college graduates, results of the meeting of the IRS with trade groups for federal guidance on the ruling and consequences of allowing others to implement the student-loan matching idea.

The article discusses the findings of a recently released survey on health savings accounts (HSAs) in the U.S. by the Plan Sponsor Council of America. Topics covered include confusion among employees regarding HSAs and flexible savings accounts, need for education about HSAs to be accessible and easy to understand, number of employers that offered HSAs in 2018 and growth in HSA investments from May 2016 to December 2018.

The article reports that Internal Revenue Service issued a ruling allowing one company to make contributions to 401(k) accounts on behalf of those who pay off a certain percentage of student debt in an effort to help workers achieve certain financial wellness goals.

The article reports on target-date retirement funds for employees in the U.S. Topics discussed include auto-enrollment for target-date funds, companies using target-date funds when automatically enrolling workers into 401(k) plans, and the rapid growth of target- date funds. Also being discussed are the reasons for the popularity of target-date funds.

The article looks at "28th Annual Retirement Confidence Survey" of Employee Benefit Research Institute which measured worker and retiree confidence about retirement issues. It mentions questions about being able to pay for health care and other long-term security issues and health care costs continue to rise and continue to be a major expense for retirees. It also mentions guaranteed lifetime income products and investments that are offered either inside defined contribution plans.

The article discusses that after the introduction of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 also known as the tax reform law the companies are able to put in more for employee benefits and business expansion including expanding personal financial planning, increasing 401(k) matching contributions and bumping or accelerating pension plan contributions or adding it to the bonus.

The article focuses on the 2017 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey by consulting group Willis Towers Watson, according to which financial problems are negatively impacting the lives of one-third of U.S. workers. Comment of Willis senior economist Steve Nyce regarding a rise in household debt is also gven.

The article focuses on the views of several corporate benefit leaders regarding freelancers are trying to build a career path in the gig economy, speaking at the American Benefits Council's 50th anniversary symposium in Washington D.C. in December 2018. Fred Thiele, general manager of global benefits for Microsoft Corp. refers to world of gig work or freelance work as cash-based.

The article reports that United Technologies Corp. has lifetime income pension for the 21st century built into its 401(k) plan, which automatically enrolls workers into the option, and mentions comments from Kevin Hanney, United's senior director for pension investments, on the plan.

The article discusses issues surrounding attitude of U.S. employers in responding to Baby Boomer employees' request for lifetime income plans. It states that employers don't offer investment options that might help retirees spend their savings, and mentions that lifetime or retirement income solutions are guaranteed or variable annuity option, and participants get a steady paycheck for life from the annuity. It notes need of employee education about plans like 401(k).

The article discusses phase retirement program. Topics discussed include comments from Tony Cortese of the office furniture company Herman Miller regarding baby boomers at the firm, Catherine Collinson of Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies regarding benefits of the program to the firm along with their "17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey" and study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on employers revealing ease of workforce planning issues.

The article reports that a survey conducted by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch stated that employees and workers have recently realised the benefits of the Roth 401(k) plans which collects up front and not after retirement and have increased their contributions towards the plan.

The article focuses on increasing interest of millennials in being FIREd: Financially Independent, Retiring Early. Topics discussed include members saving half of income each year maximum out on living in modest homes and retirement accounts with minimal spending for maximum benefit an art form, views of online financial blogger Ms. Our Next Life (Ms. ONL) on retirement meaning working voluntarily and views of personal financial adviser Richard Reyes on need of lifestyle for going forward.

The article offers information on the automatic 401(k) plan enrollment for millennials employees from employers. Topics discussed include ensuring retirement savings for millennials, views of Gary DeMaio, defined contribution product head at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, on the combining automatic enrollment with automatic increase and use of mobile technology for auto-enrollment, and need for combining employee benefit programs with financial wellness education.

The article offers insight on the predicament with regards to retirement in the U.S. Topics discussed include the good side on retirement prospects, the value of saving for retirement, the formal financial statement for better understanding on financial state improvement, and the focus of companies on financial wellness.

The article discusses a seminar by The Plan Sponsor University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to educate 401(k) plan to managers and help to learn their responsibilities. Topics include lack of knowledge and trainings to the employers, aim of the event to expose participants to new goals and ideas; and advisers taking lectures to teach attendees regarding retirement plans. It presents the views of lecturer Todd Barden and Steff Chalk, Plan Sponsor University's executive director, on the same.

The article reflects on the State of the Union address of U.S. President Barack Obama in January 2016 detailing his plan to increase the number of 401(k) plans at companies by helping small businesses to join with others to create a defined contribution multiple employer plan (MEP). It cites a study suggesting the percentage of respondents not prepared to cover retirement expenses. Obama's budget proposal also included part-time employees, tax breaks for small businesses, and unemployed people.

The article discusses the possible impacts of the increase in interest rates introduced by the U.S. Federal Reserve on 401(k) retirement plan, as March 2016. It states that higher rates may lead to better return on investment market and other saving plans, and mentions that the elevated rate may cause volatility in stock and bond market in the short ter. It presents comments from retirement consultant Alan Glickstein on the same.

The article focuses on significant changes in design of 401(k) by employee-sponsored healthcare plan sponsors to improve plan costs and participant savings rates according to a survey by consulting firm Aon Hewitt. It present views of Rob Austin, Aon Hewitt's director of retirement research, and Tom Zgainer, chief executive officer of America's Best 401K, on use a flat dollar fee to pay for administrative services, 2012 rule by the U.S. Labor Department and difference in retirement savings.

The article focuses on retirement as an important issue for voters and not for presidential candidates during U.S. presidential elections. Topics discussed include retirement issues that will important as foreign policy and economy if recording artist Kanye West becomes presidential candidate; views of Brianna Buch, project manager at Epic Systems Corp., on retirement politics; and retirement savings as a tax deferral.

The article focuses on the U.S. Labor Department and its plan to revise rules around fiduciary advice for retirement to protect interest of retirement plan participants. It informs that financial advisers registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) need to abide best fiduciary standard for their clients. It presents views of Phyllis Borzi of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).

The article discusses the "2015 How America Saves" survey of the financial services firm Vanguard Group Inc. as of December 2014. It mentions the dip in account balances after initiating workers at low contribution rates and adds workers are automatically put into defined contribution plans by employers. It include comments from Mike Goss of Fiduciary Investment Advisors, regarding auto enrollment.

The article focuses on the effectiveness of white label investment approach of the company stock as an option and its impact on the success of a retirement account. Topics discussed include defined contribution survey of professional services firm Towers Watson & Co., views of Sue Walton, a director in Towers Watson's defined contribution investment group, on the same and design of 401(k) retirement plan to help participants focus more on investment goals.