Retirement Trends

At a time when the nations legislative wheels seem mired in partisanship, the last week of January turned out to be a busy one for retirement plan proposals.

As pension funding ratios have improved and the idea of getting a plan off the balance sheet starts to take shape, more companies are willing to take that next step toward an outsourcing model

A proposal last week from Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr would pay pensioners at more than twice the rate of some bondholders.

Individuals who make less than $29,500 of adjusted gross income or couples who make $59,000 and file jointly are eligible to apply if they made eligible contributions to either a 401(k) plan or an IRA.

Target-date funds returned an average 5.4 percent for the fourth quarter, which was significantly less than the 10.5 percent return of the S&P 500.

After the U.S., where assets rose 12 percent to $18.9 trillion, were Japan with 10.2 percent of assets, and the United Kingdom, with 10.1 percent.