A recent Vanguard report sheds light on the pressing challenges faced by retirees across different income brackets. The findings reveal that lower income workers allocate a significantly larger portion of their pre-retirement income to meet their daily needs, leaving them with a substantial shortfall in retirement readiness — even when factoring in Social Security benefits.

Plan sponsors can take proactive steps to help participants better prepare for a secure retirement to ensure that all employees, regardless of income level, have a fighting chance at a comfortable retirement. Learn more about those key steps.

It is crucial for companies to regularly benchmark and compare their benefits packages to their industry peers in order to maintain their competitive advantage and status. Offering a competitive benefits package, however, can be challenging for plan sponsors due to budgetary constraints.

But one industry leader says a plan sponsor should ideally reflect the investment "necessary to attract and retain the talent needed to drive business success" in their
"total rewards budget," which includes both benefits and compensation. That "right" amount of budget, he says, will depend on a number of factors. Find out more.

On October 31, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its “Proposed Retirement Security Rule: Definition of an Investment Advice Fiduciary.” If finalized, a new definition of an “investment advice fiduciary” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) would apply, likely resulting in more individuals becoming fiduciaries. Learn more.