Nearly half (49%) of 401(k) plan sponsors are offering features to automatically increase participants’ contributions as they seek to improve their employees’ preparation for retirement, a new Deloitte study finds.

The largest specialty insurance brokerage in the U.S. acquired a New York-based 401(k) investment and advisory firm, seeking to expand its presence in the Northeast.

Federal officials have issued final regulations establishing how investment advisors providing 401(k) participants with advice without violating transaction rules.

More Americans are confident that their personal finances will improve in the next year, a trend resulting from increased retirement planning, a new study says.

The majority of workers say that despite the economic downturn they have not been forced to change the amount of money they are putting into savings or their 401(k) plans.

In today’s competitive business environment, companies are always looking for ways to bring added value and services to their customers. However, this desire for differentiation, market share and new revenue channels leads many firms away from their core competencies and into areas where they lack experience and expertise. This trend is especially true in today’s payroll industry, where large national payroll firms have focused their significant resources to aggressively enter the group insurance and 401(k) business.

The definition of “fiduciary” being proposed by the U.S. Labor Department could do more harm than good for workers and employers, according to two industry experts.

The average 401(k) account balance has been rising annually and particularly in 2009, and investors want to diversify their stock, a report says.

More people are dipping into their 401(k) plans, forced by the economy to use the funds to pay for daily expenses, according to new research.

Target-date funds are the most prevalent default investment option for automatic enrollments at large-size companies, according to a Towers Watson survey.