Retirement

The funded status of U.S. pensions fell to 72.4 percent in December, according to the BNY Mellon Pension Summary Report for December. The drop was a result of a sharp increase in liabilities.

The Plan Sponsor Council of America has updated its website to provide online registration, links to webinars, enhanced research and other features to help plan sponsors get the information they need to better manage their companys retirement plans, according to David Wray, PSCAs president.

Financial markets will continue to improve in 2012, but there are risks that could bring them back down again.

One of the worlds largest pension funds is divesting from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Algemeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds, a Dutch pension fund, said it will no longer invest in the retail giant because of its repeated violation of international labor standards.

MassMutuals Retirement Services Division has developed a comprehensive education-based fee disclosure training plan to get ahead of the curve when pricing transparency rules go into effect later this year.

The funded status of pension plans has been on a wild ride since 2008, experiencing major declines in 2008, 2010 and 2011. The drops were due to the double whammy of declining equity markets and lower interest rates, said Jonathan Barry, Mercers U.S. Retirement Risk & Finance DB Risk Leader,...