As a plan administrator or sponsor, you want to provide your employees with a retirement plan that benefits them while also being beneficial to your company. Safe harbor plans have become a popular option, but some sponsors may be hesitant to implement them out of concern for the associated costs. Let’s talk about the true […]
Understanding the True Cost of Safe Harbor Plans Read More »
You already know a fiduciary must act solely in the interest of the plan participants, their beneficiaries and alternate payees to ensure that only reasonable expenses are being paid. The big question is: how do you know if plan fees contained within 408(b)(2) disclosures are reasonable? Benchmarking your retirement plan fees is a vital tool
Unravelling 408(b)(2) Plan Fees Read More »
Whether due to disability, dementia, or simply enjoying an exotic vacation, there are many ways you can end up unavailable to make critical financial or healthcare choices for yourself or your loved ones. If you’ve not documented your desires in advance, it can add extra stress for everyone, plus the outcomes may not be what
Securing Your Interests: Essential Legal Tools for Life’s Uncertainties Read More »
With the ever-changing landscape of retirement benefits and the laws around them, it makes sense that employees are taking a closer look at what companies are offering. Appreciation for company benefits is on the rise, according to the 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey from insurance advisory firm WTW. Three out of five say a good benefits
Working with a Plan Administrator: Setting Up Retirement Plans that Retain Employees Read More »
In our last piece, we summarized the ways a successful stock buyback can deliver powerful, tax-efficient value to shareholders, without stunting future growth. But stock buybacks are like any other power tool: They’re not always the best, or even safest device for every job. Today, we’ll wrap by covering some of the potential downsides to
The Pitfalls of Stock Buybacks: Balancing Risks and Rewards Read More »
Many companies are outsourcing more and more activities, mainly because outsourcing can provide cost savings and increase productivity. Outsourcing allows companies to focus more on their core businesses, rather than spending time on areas outside their expertise. For retirement plan sponsors, outsourcing fiduciary services makes sense for these reasons as well as others. Reduced
The Top Three Reasons to Outsource Fiduciary Services Read More »
In our last piece, we explained how stock buybacks generally work, and why we prefer investing in a globally diversified investment portfolio over chasing or fleeing particular buyback opportunities. Next, let’s look at how companies use stock buybacks in practice. Striking a Balance: Buy Back or Plow In? Broadly speaking, stock buybacks are meant
Navigating Stock Buybacks: Benefits and Pitfalls Read More »
Stock buybacks—i.e., a company repurchasing shares of its own stock—have been targets for praise and criticism through the years. So, which are they: good or evil? We agree with The Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig, who once wrote: “Buybacks are neither bad nor good. They are simply a tool. Just as you can use
Decoding Stock Buybacks: Balancing Benefits and Risks Read More »
A recent Vanguard report sheds light on the pressing challenges faced by retirees across different income brackets. The findings reveal that lower-income workers allocate a significantly larger portion of their pre-retirement income to meet their daily needs, leaving them with a substantial shortfall in retirement readiness — even when factoring in Social Security benefits. The
Boosting Lower Wage Earners’ Retirement Readiness Read More »
In Part 1 we described why dividend investing—or, stocking up on stocks with a reputation for consistently paying out attractive dividends—may not be an ideal strategy for generating a dependable income stream out of your investment portfolio. Today, we’ll look at why we prefer a total return investment strategy instead of seeking more concentrated dividend
Beyond Dividend Stocks: Embracing Total Return Investing Read More »