New rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission are playing a role in some companies' decision to trim or drop executive perquisites, the Wall Street Journal reports.
In the current environment of eliminating or reducing benefits under traditional defined benefit plans, the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College performed a study on how the investments in both kinds of plans are faring. The news isn't good.
Automatic enrollment boosts participation rates in 401(k) plans significantly, but the quality of participation among automatically enrolled employee is lower than that of employees who contributed through traditional enrollment, according to a study by Hewitt Associates.
Military reservists called to active duty can receive payments from their individual retirement accounts, 401(k) plans, and 403(b) tax-sheltered annuities, without having to pay the early-withdrawal penalty, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
The man referred to by The Wall Street Journal as the "wittiest journalist in America " says that a serious change may be about to occur in Washington, D.C.
The average 401(k) balance rose from $67,785 in 1999 to $102,014 in 2005 among participants who maintained accounts for the entire period, according to a report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI).
