The Miami Herald.com: “Retirement pension system is full of pitfalls“:
Retirement pensions used to be simple. You knew if you stuck with your employer that, upon retiring, you would have a monthly payment you could count on for the rest of your life. The amount of the payment was based on your salary and years of service. Not much else to worry about. . . Time to start worrying. It’s not your father’s pension any more. “Just as the certainty of your job is more in question than it was 10 or 20 years ago, the certainty of your retirement (pension) is less clear than 10 or 20 years ago. . . ”
PR Newswire: “Standard Insurance Company Launches 401(k) on the Brain(SM) Financial Education Program“:
401(k) on the Brain was developed by The Standard to provide in-depth retirement planning education for participants. It uses everyday language and a humorous, interactive approach to address a wide range of retirement, investing and financial planning topics. “Our goal was to develop high-quality educational material that is entertaining and fun to work with,” said Chris Dugan, director of marketing for The Standard’s Retirement Plans Division. “Participants want information that they can relate to, and 401(k) on the Brain gives them that.” (Comment: 401(k)’s made fun? Please! I would love to see this!)
CFO.com: “Less Ado about Options: A new valuation model could dampen the controversy over expensing employee stock options“:
The continuing brouhaha over a new accounting rule that would require expensing of employee stock options could amount to a tempest in a teacup, if a new valuation model is embraced by regulators and proves to be as accurate as advertised. . . FASB has yet to issue its rule, but its exposure draft (anticipated in a matter of days) is expected to embrace the new “binomial” valuation method, to one degree or another.
The Wall Street Journal via SFGate.com: “Mutual-fund study reveals undisclosed charges“:
Just how much are investors unwittingly paying? Fund tracker Lipper Inc. studied 2,000 funds for The Wall Street Journal and found that brokerage commissions can more than double the cost of owning fund shares. . . These fees are controversial because they’re tough to ferret out. A fund’s expense ratios — which include management fees and overhead — are clearly spelled out in its annual reports, while information on brokerage commissions is buried.