Retirement archive
Every Retirement story, newest first. 354 stories
8 stories
- Retirement Advisers
Human oversight tops what adults want from financial AI
Addition Wealth's 2026 survey finds 72% of U.S. adults want a human leading or actively involved in financial guidance. For retirement plan advisers, that is the opening.
- Plans & Sponsors
Smallest employers are adopting retirement plans fastest, Gusto data show
Gusto's payroll data show the smallest firms adding plans fastest. Auto-IRA mandates and hourly-worker access are reshaping the small-plan market.
- Retirement Advisers
Parenthood pushes Americans to plan for retirement
Advisers can reach the 62% of childless participants with no written financial plan by asking one question.
- Plans & Sponsors
SpaceX's record listing shows up in institutional portfolios
Pensions & Investments reports official filings show the largest IPO in history landed in institutional equity portfolios.
- Retirement Advisers
Pontera adds a non-discretionary route into held-away 401(k)s
A second workflow lets advisers recommend changes inside employer-sponsored accounts; clients do the executing.
- Policy & ERISA
11th Circuit revives Royal Caribbean TDF suit, eases benchmark test
The ruling lets ERISA plaintiffs plead imprudence without a matched benchmark, setting up a Supreme Court test of how specific the comparison must be.
- Plans & Sponsors
HSA balances hit a record. Most accountholders still hold cash.
EBRI finds average HSA balances at an all-time high, but just 18% of accountholders invest beyond cash.
- The Wrap
Annuity records mask the advice gap
MassMutual Ascend crossed $2 billion in advisory sales. LIMRA data shows advisors are still not converting demand into income plans.
18 stories
- Retirement Advisers
Only 21% use AI as primary financial source
Addition Wealth survey gives advisers a concrete number to cite when clients ask why a human stays in the loop.
- Retirement Advisers
Child-free adults less confident than parents on retirement savings, Allianz Life finds
Allianz Life finds 62% of child-free adults have no written financial plan, a clear opening for advisers.
- Policy & ERISA
Mandatory contributions count against the Section 415 annual additions cap
Groom Law guidance puts mandatory employee contributions inside the Section 415 annual additions count.
- Plans & Sponsors
Average HSA balance hits record $5,532, and most is still cash
Only 18% of accountholders invest outside cash, so the triple tax advantage goes mostly untouched.
- Investments
Target-date assets top $5.3 trillion as income options climb
Sway Research's mid-year report shows 11% first-half growth, with income-linked target-dates up 18%.
- Plans & Sponsors
PSCA names three CPSPs as 2026 award winners
The honorees used their credential training to make concrete plan changes, from employer matches to a 3% participation gain.
- Retirement Advisers
Ten retirement firms landed in the Inc. 5000 top 1,000
A 401(k) Specialist scan finds a slim retirement cohort — and a growth metric that rewards small starting lines.
- Income & Annuities
MassMutual Ascend passes $2 billion in advisory annuity sales
Close to half of the carrier's lifetime advisory annuity sales arrived in the past two years.
- Policy & ERISA
Abuse-of-discretion review extends to plan investment suits
A deferential standard long applied to benefit denials now covers claims against 401(k) and ESOP fiduciaries, easing dismissals and making settlements less likely.
- Policy & ERISA
Treasury opens Saver's Match rulemaking, sets TrumpIRA.gov course
The federal match for low-income savers moves toward regulation as Treasury prepares its directory of eligible IRAs.
- Retirement Advisers
Vanguard lets advisers customize its model portfolios
Custom Model Portfolios reach advisers through Vestmark, SS&C Black Diamond, and Orion; plan governance will decide their reach.
- Income & Annuities
Protected-income demand is outrunning advisor delivery
A new LIMRA survey finds broad demand for guaranteed retirement income, but pre-retirees' confidence that protected income will cover essentials remains thin — the gap is the next test for advice firms.
- Income & Annuities
Annuity sales hit record $123.9B as Fed hawks reshape fixed income
A divided Fed and Strait of Hormuz talks framed the industry's 11th straight quarter above $100 billion.
- Plans & Sponsors
PGIM taps retirement veteran Yaqub Ahmed for DC Solutions
A 30-year retirement-industry veteran now leads PGIM's defined contribution strategy as the firm eyes private markets access.
- Retirement Advisers
Edelman puts a dealmaker in charge of retirement plan services
Christian Mango's appointment puts acquisitions at the center of Edelman's workplace retirement strategy.
- Policy & ERISA
Judge revives 3M target-date suit on Fidelity benchmark
A Minnesota federal judge let prudence claims against 3M's target-date funds proceed, giving plaintiffs' lawyers a concrete test of what a meaningful benchmark looks like.
- Policy & ERISA
Employers get a $2,500 tax-free lane into a child's Trump Account
Proposed Treasury rules open a tax-free employer route, but the fee cap and small-business guidance are still unsettled.
- Plans & Sponsors
Principal survey: AI adoption and delayed retirement
Employer confidence is recovering, but most still see workers postponing retirement.
14 stories
- Retirement Advisers
SEI brings Zocks AI to its $2.1 trillion adviser network
The partnership pairs an AI assistant with adoption programming, targeting the back-office work advisers would rather skip.
- Policy & ERISA
Finding a lost 401(k) now starts at Login.gov
A SECURE 2.0 search tool for lost 401(k)s and pensions is live. Whether it helps depends on passing Login.gov's identity check and what old employers actually reported.
- Policy & ERISA
Trump account proposal caps contributions and bars trustee steering
Employers get a dependent care-style playbook for tax-free Trump account contributions, with a single $2,500 cap per worker and a ban on steering money to a chosen custodian.
- Plans & Sponsors
Zero-fee IRAs can still cost savers $1,400 a year
PensionBee's white paper sizes the revenue streams hiding inside fee-free IRA accounts.
- Retirement Advisers
Retirement planning now runs from birth to late-life care
Guardian's Trump Account math starts wealth-building at age zero; Bquest says advisers ignore the costs of growing old.
- Income & Annuities
The last mile of retirement is a spending problem
A new IRIC white paper calls underspending a design flaw and gives advisers a playbook built on paychecks, buckets, and menu changes.
- Policy & ERISA
DOL proposes extending e-delivery rules to group health plans
Group health plan sponsors could gain the same electronic delivery path retirement plans have had since 2020.
- Retirement Advisers
Zero-fee IRAs can carry more than $1,400 in hidden annual costs
PensionBee's analysis of cash sweep spreads and other charges gives retirement advisers a checklist for vetting IRA providers.
- The Wrap
The 401(k) Fight Now Starts Before the Recordkeeper Is Chosen
OpenArc and Mesirow are moving to control plan design before a recordkeeper is hired, shifting who shapes the menu.
- Retirement Advisers
Edelman turns its retirement unit over to a dealmaker
Edelman hires a dealmaker to run its retirement unit, a clue it plans to buy its way toward turning 401(k) participants into planning clients.
- Plans & Sponsors
PGIM hires Franklin Templeton veteran to run DC solutions
Yaqub Ahmed will lead PGIM's defined contribution push across wealth and international channels as the $1.5 trillion manager competes for plan menu spots without a recordkeeping arm.
- Policy & ERISA
EBSA bulletin resets ESOP enforcement priorities
ESOP fiduciaries and sponsors face a lighter enforcement climate, with an 'adequate consideration' rule still to come.
- Retirement Advisers
Deep AI Users Report Stronger Profit and Revenue Gains
A Fieldguide survey and Cerulli data show heavy AI adoption tied to growth, even as advisers give their broader tech modest marks.
- Policy & ERISA
Final UBIT rules lock in the tax for retirement-plan investors in private funds
The IRS finalized the UBIT rules for retirement-plan stakes in debt-financed private funds, with a transition window that reaches back to 2018.