Better Information and Sponsor Guidance Could Improve Oversight and Reduce Fees for Participants September report from the Government Accountability Office to the Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives on the oversight of 401k plans and the fees charged to 401k plan participants. Source: GAO (PDF File).

Financial Illiteracy is Rampant Among the Young Once upon a time, a twenty-something American’s finances were pretty simple. Today’s young people, though, have to cope with student loans and credit cards while deciding how to invest within a  401k plan. And many of them aren’t well equipped to make such decisions, according to a recent study. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

How Your 401(k) Investments Stack Up The bulk of 401(k) assets are invested in stocks. At the end of 2008, 56 percent of 401(k) participants’ savings was invested in the stock market including equity funds, the equity portion of balanced funds, and company stock, according to a new report. Source: US News & World Report

401(k) Asset Gain Seen Despite Market Meltdown Consistent” 401(k) participants posted an annual average increase of 7.2% over that five-year period, despite suffering huge losses in the 2008 market meltdown, according to new research from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Investment Company Institute. Source: Pensions & Investments

Answers to 401k Questions That Matter Most The information that HR provides to employees about their defined contribution savings plan typically focuses on basic plan facts. That leaves unanswered questions about how to use the plan. This article deals with some of the answers employees need to begin using their 401k to have the financial future they want. Source: Society for Human Resource Management.

Debt Levels Increase for Those In or Near Retirement Debt levels of those in or near retirement age are heading up: Among elderly families -- and especially among the lower -- income elderly-housing debt in particular is rising, according to a study published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. Source: 401khelpcenter.com.

Two-thirds of 401k Participants Turn Blind Eye to Investment Info Two-thirds of 401k participants don't read the investment information provided to them by their plan executives, according to a soon-to-be-released survey by J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services. Source: PIonline.com (PDF File).

Market Meltdown Costs 401k Participants One-Third of Their Retirement Savings The average 401k participant lost nearly one-third of his or her retirement account assets in 2008 because of the market downturn, according to a report released by the Investment Company Institute and the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Source: Workforce.com

A Master Financial Plan for Retirement Savings Many companies are going well beyond basic education programs for retirement savings, and instead are providing a variety of services and tools to help employees plot their entire financial future. Source: Workforce.com

New Twist on Annuities in 401k Several money managers are scrambling to design investment options embedded with annuities or income guarantees in what they hope will be the next major evolution in defined contribution plans. Source: PIonline.com

An Introduction to Independent Fiduciaries Matthew Hutcheson is a congressional expert, and is recognized around the globe as a dedicated advocate of investor and plan participant rights. In this interview he shares his expertise on working with independent fiduciaries and retirement planning. Source: Suite101.com.

Independent Registered Investment Advisors Upbeat About Career and Economy A new survey of independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), released by TD AMERITRADE Institutional, shows advisors are upbeat about their jobs and the outlook on the U.S economy. Source: 401khelpcenter.com.

WaMu Employees' 401k Lawsuit Against JPMorgan Dismissed An attempt by former Washington Mutual Inc. employees to recoup their retirement account losses from JPMorgan Chase & Co., part of a complex tangle of litigation stemming from WaMu's collapse last year, has been dismissed. Source: Associated Press.

401k Plan Asset Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2008 Because 401k balances can fluctuate with market returns from year to year, meaningful analysis of 401k plans must examine how participants' accounts have performed over the long term. This study looks at consistent participants in the EBRI/ICI 401k database over the five-year period from 2003 to 2008 and reports on the findings. Source: Investment Company Institute (PDF File).

Guidance on Department of Labor Enforcement Priorities for Employee Benefits Article examines the new enforcement priorities of the US Labor Department's Employee Benefits Security Administration, which include an initiative to pursue criminal charges against serious violators of ERISA. Source: Arent Fox LLP.