Fiduciary advisers should be weighing the risks and upsides of securities lending
Fidelity Investments is making 401(k) advisers’ lives a little more complicated. The Boston-based behemoth dropped some eye-popping news Wednesday: as of Friday, it will begin offering two index mutual funds with a price tag of 0.00%. Yes, funds free of cost to investors — the industry’s first. The funds, in the total-market and international equity categories, will be...Read More
Advice for plan sponsors on becoming better fiduciaries
Investment Fiduciaries typically have a close, ongoing relationship with their 401(k) plan. They consult plan participants and employers how to make better investments out of their retirement plan contributions and afterwards they pledge to continue monitoring the investments and assess their prudence over time. Still that is a role of a point in time fiduciary, serving...Read More
How millennials are under-investing in their retirement accounts
Lots of outlets have been reporting on how Millennials are under-investing in their retirement accounts and instead sticking with cash or just a regular bank savings account with little to no interest. 401kSepcialistMag proposes that the “risk-averse” younger generation may be victims of “post-financial stress disorder,” after 2008 market crash. While this may be true,...Read More
Top 5 Larkspur-Rixtrema Blog Posts for July 2018
Here are the most popular blog posts for the month of July 2018 from the Larkspur-Rixtrema team. Be sure to catch up on this month’s top articles: 5. Financial Advisor Tools: How to Prepare Your Client For a ‘Perfect Storm.When it comes to risk, a financial advisor must consider not only the investment portfolio, but...Read More
Excessive Fees Lawsuits Never Go Away
Not only professionals who work in the financial industry constantly hear about various lawsuits where participant-plaintiffs are suing plan administrators for breaching their fiduciary duty in the administration of the plan, but more and more of the participants and various law firms are scrutinizing retirement plans. (https://www.napa-net.org/news/technical-competence/erisa/excessive-fee-claims-dont-need-to-be-arbitrated-9th-circuit-says/) One of the most common reasons that can be...Read More
14 Reasons Why Financial Advisors Should Use Portfolio Crash Testing
Portfolio Crash Testing (PCT) is different from all other stress testing systems (including those available to institutions) for numerous reasons. Our experts at Larkspur-Rixtrema, have put together a detailed list of benefits of the software which will help you explain and manage portfolio risk for any prospect or client: 1. Portfolio Crash Testing (PCT) is a...Read More
15 Weekly Stats: Week of July 30, 2018
Matt Meyer and Michael Robinson are founders of The BluePrint Insurance Services. Their mission is to be the premier insurance partner for RIAs and comprehensive financial advisors. The BluePrint provides an operational insurance platform that allows our partners to provide the highest level of insurance access and support. We feature weekly update with permission: Contact...Read More
Plan Advisors increasingly pulled into 401(k) plan litigation
Source Advisors are increasingly being pulled into 401(k) plan litigation under novel theories of liability and need to pay extra attention in documenting their actions, a prominent ERISA attorney told delegates July 24 at the 2018 NAPA DC Fly-In Forum in Washington. Tom Clark, Of Counsel at The Wagner Law Group, warned that alleged fiduciary...Read More
The One Thing You Must Do As a Retirement Plan Advisor
If you’re managing one or even several 401(k) retirement plans, it’s important to know what services plan sponsors really want and expect you to provide. Providing desired services obviously helps to strengthen client relationships and reduces the risk of takeover. If you’re prospecting for new business, one of the best ways to get your foot...Read More
5 Articles for Your Weekend Reading List: July 27, 2018
Here are five suggested articles to read this weekend: 1. Thoughts on Income and Wealth – An interview featuring Dana Larsen of Senior Finance Advisor, a website dedicated to helping individuals plan for their wealth management goals and aligning them with advisors to do so. (Getting Your Financial Ducks In A Row) 2. The Efficiency Benefits Of Niching From The...Read More