Leading retirement plan advisers exhibit several key differences in the way they approach their practice. Successful advisers have more efficient practices, they keep up to speed on products and trends, are better positioned to withstand uncertain markets, and are better prepared to handle specific economic challenges like low interest rates, according to Cara Farchione, manager of retirement solutions for Raymond James.

Taxpayers are getting looser with their paychecks this year, according to a recent survey. This year, 20% of respondents to a survey by John Hancock Financial Services say they’re more likely to spend extra pay they get from lower payroll taxes, up from 12% last year.

The Hartford announced Wednesday that it will stop its individual annuity business and is pursuing “sales or other strategic alternatives” for its individual life, Woodbury Financial Services and retirement plans.

The Financial Services Institute would like to help the Department of Labor analyze the potential impact of a redefinition of fiduciary responsibility. However, FSI needs a bit more time to respond to data requests, and some of the requests seem off the mark, the organization said in a letter to the Labor Department.

Ten days in the investment markets can have an enormous impact on any client’s portfolio. But because it is nearly impossible to predict which ones will be the best, investors should stay in the market and remain diversified, David Gluch, CFA, a director of U.S. product management for Invesco, said during a presentation at the IMCA 2012 New York Consultants Conference.

Financial services industry groups are ready and willing to help the Labor Department do a formal study of the potential impact of a redefinition of fiduciary responsibility, according to a new letter several trade organizations wrote to the department.

In every year, there are a host of surprises that come along like earthquakes: They are nearly impossible to predict. We can be thankful that more didn't go wrong with the global economy, although things could certainly go haywire next year. Check out four issues, including health care reform, that made the list.

Most couples disagree on a lot of important points when it comes to retirement planning. That lack of agreement can translate into lost financial planning business, making it important for advisers to get couples to work together, according to Fidelity Investments.

For many employees faced with the prospect of having to save for rising health care costs and for retirement, it's important to understand that it doesn't necessarily have to be an either/or decision.

When financial advisers are working with clients to figure out their retirement strategy, they need to factor in inflation into the mix. But the question is, how does one decide what inflation is likely to be years into the future when there are so many different ways to measure it even in the present?

Even if they bite the bullet and stay on the job well past retirement age and late into their 70s, most Baby Boomers and the Gen-Xers who follow them will not have enough savings to cover their basic retirement expenses and out-of-pocket health costs.

DC plan consultants expect that future markets will be as volatile as they have been in the recent past, and offer lower returns. That’s why they view asset diversification and custom target-date strategies as key elements to successful defined contribution schemes for retirement income planning, according to plan consultants that the Pacific Investment Management Co. surveyed last December and January.

As the target-date fund industry works to raise its standing with investors, a recent Vanguard survey finds that much of that work might already be done.