Discover the best Health
Posted: March 11, 2012 at 1:22 pm
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Discover the best Health
Retirement plan fees in focus
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By CHRIS FREEMAN - cfreeman@shawmedia.com
By this summer, companies and employees will be able to find out more information on their employer-based retirement plans than ever before.
New regulations from the Department of Labor are going to require employers and retirement plan providers to determine whether the money paid to retirement plan servicers is reasonable and to disclose the feeds that are being charged by the servicer.
And that could provide transparency that the industry has not seen on a grand scale before, said Clear Financial Strategies Global Wealth Manager Allen Bronton.
[The new rules] say corporations must gather what the fees are for the retirement plan, and its their responsibility to do it, not the plan providers, Bronton said. Once they have the information, they have to be able to make a decision on what the participants are paying, and whether thats reasonable for the service they receive.
The final rule implementation has been pushed back by the Labor Department to July 1, and all companies must be in compliance with the regulations by that date.
The common-sense rule that we are finalizing today will shed light on the true costs of 401(k) accounts and ultimately reward those working hard and saving for retirement, Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said in a news release last month. This rule, and its companion participant-level fee disclosure rule, will greatly increase the level of transparency in retirement plans.
When businesses that sponsor retirement plans, and the workers who participate in those plans, get better information on associated fees and expenses, theyll be able to shop around and make informed decisions that will lead to cost savings and a larger nest egg at retirement.
The three most common fees that plans charge that generally are not announced, Bronton said, are the 12(b)-1 fee, the Shareholder Service fee, and the Sub-TA fee.
The 12(b)-1 fee covers cost for advertising, marketing, and distribution of the plan. For larger companies such as Fidelity or Morningstar, that would cover the cost of promoting the plan inside and outside the workplace.
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Retirement plan fees in focus
A retirement portfolio that makes sense
Posted: at 1:22 pm
For most Americans, building their retirement nest egg is one of their most important priorities -- and most difficult challenges.
A big factor to achieving that goal is constructing a well-designed portfolio. We can't predict the future, so no one knows what the ideal investment plan will turn out to be. However, we can construct a sensible one that is broadly diversified, low-cost, tax-efficient and consistent with your goals and investing temperament.
Such a portfolio will significantly improve your chances of reaching your retirement goals. Here are the key steps to developing an intelligent retirement investment plan:
* Clearly identify the goals for your portfolio. What do you want it to accomplish in the period leading up to retirement, during retirement and after you're gone? In addition to a secure retirement, are you planning to leave assets to family members or a charity? If so, how much do you plan to leave?
* Understand your risk tolerance. This is your willingness to accept short-term losses in exchange for expected, but uncertain, longer-term gains. If you can't sleep at night fearing that a severe drop in the market could cost you a significant portion of your assets, a portfolio that holds a high percentage of risky investments such as stocks may not be right for you. Your risk tolerance affects your portfolio design, so take the time to get this right.
* Determine your time horizon. For many investors, this will consist of
* Establish your asset allocation. The most important investment decision you will make is the portfolio's asset allocation, which is determining the portion of your investable assets you want in the three major asset classes -- stocks, bonds and cash. This decision will determine the majority of your portfolio's performance and risk. Different asset classes have different risk and return characteristics and can respond differently to economic and market forces. Therefore, you can balance a portfolio's risk and return by spreading your investments among different types of assets. This doesn't guarantee a profit or ensure against a loss, but it can help you manage the level and type of risks you face. A sensible asset allocation depends upon your investment objectives, time horizon, risk tolerance and other personal and financial circumstances.
* Diversify through sub-asset allocation and security selection. To further diversify your portfolio, you'll need to select the sub-asset classes and specific funds that offer you the exposure within the specific stock and bond categories you want.
* Determine your asset location. Different types of accounts, assets and gains are taxed differently. Therefore, choosing which assets to hold in which accounts can help improve after-tax returns. Generally, investors should hold tax-efficient investments such as broad-market index funds in taxable accounts, and tax-inefficient investments such as taxable bond funds in tax-advantaged accounts. However, factors such as short-term cash needs and estate-planning decisions can dictate exceptions to this strategy.
* Rebalance periodically. Asset classes perform differently during the year. In order to maintain your target asset allocation and manage your portfolio's risk, you should rebalance the portfolio periodically.
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Romeo and Juliet – Dream high 2 Rian and Yoo-Jin ‘s performance – Video
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Anscombe leads Auckland to 29-23 win over Bulls
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PRETORIA, South Africa (AP)Flyhalf Gareth Anscombe scored all the points as Auckland Blues overcame their early season struggles with a gutsy 29-23 win at the Bulls in Super 15 rugby on Saturday.
Anscombe inspired the New Zealand team to a first victory in three games with two tries, two conversions and five penalties at Loftus Versfeld.
The 20-year-old newcomer broke away in the second minute after intercepting a loose ball and finished a flowing Blues counterattack in the 38th as the visitors stunned their fellow three-time Super rugby champions at the Bulls home ground.
The Bulls launched a late charge with wing Bjorn Basson crossing for two second-half tries and an off-form Morne Steyn landed a touchline conversion after the hooter for a losing bonus point for the South African team, which slipped to its first defeat this season.
Anscombe began his outstanding personal performance by snatching possession in the opening moments after Bulls center Francois Venter juggled a pass in midfield and going 60 meters unchallenged for the first score.
His angled run after a length-of-the-field break from the Blues took him through a hole to score as the visitors opened a 20-8 gap at halftime.
The Blues held off the Bulls late fightback and Anscombe outkicked Springboks flyhalf Steyn, landing seven from nine shots at goal at the intimidating Pretoria venue. Steyn could only manage three from seven in a rare off-day.
Its a pretty daunting debut at this stadium, Anscombe said. The forwards fronted up and luckily I banged over a few goals and took some opportunities.
The Blues also rode a wave of pressure from the Bulls late in the first half as well as the closing stages, and recovered from an early yellow card to lock Ali Williams for a first victory of 2012 after opening with losses to Canterbury and Waikato.
The Bulls put us under a lot of pressure. When you come up here its all about the arm wrestle and staying in there, captain Keven Mealamu said. Every minute of this competition youre going to have to work for every point and it came off for us today.
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Anscombe leads Auckland to 29-23 win over Bulls
Anthony Robbins Personal Power Day 1.wmv – Video
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