Retirement Trends

The depletion of funds will directly impact retirement strategies, which is why employers need to focus on enhancing employee 401(k) plan offerings, promoting higher contribution rates, and providing financial literacy programs, says a new Atticus survey.

After replacing its pension plan with a cash-balance plan last year, IBM has now completed a PRT, transferring $6 billion in defined benefit pension plan obligations for 32,000 participants.

In this first year of the Starter 401(k), 75% of small employers went with this new 401(k) over their state-run auto-IRA program due to its simplicity, according to Jeff Rosenberger, COO of retirement platform Guideline.

In these states, 65-year-olds may have to make their nest eggs last a bit longer, as life expectancy in these states is a bit longer than the average of 18.4 years.

Transitioning from voluntary to auto-enrollment in 401(k)s, coupled with auto-escalation, should be a key plan design feature for employers, recommends the Morningstar Center for Retirement & Policy Studies.

Employers and plan sponsors must prioritize guaranteed income options in 401(k)s as a necessity – not just a "nice-to-have" option, according to a Nationwide's Protected Retirement survey report.