News & Insights

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted many from a health and/or financial perspective, and caused some retirement plan participants to evaluate their engagements in retirement plans. Recent stock market volatility, resulting from economic pressures prompted by business shutdowns across the…

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to impact our communities, ABG Southwest is ready to help in any way we can, from discussing retirement plan participation and trends to highlighting approaching deadlines. In this issue of Tax Talk, we provide some important compliance due dates for defined contribution plans and noteworthy new provisions from the IRS.

In light of the pandemic, plan participants are evaluating their continued participation and looking at CARES Act withdrawal provisions.

As American workers and businesses continue to grapple with the health and economic ramifications of the COVID-19 global health crisis, plan sponsors are also evaluating the potential impact of both the CARES and SECURE Acts on their retirement plans.

Since the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act became law, ABG Southwest is carefully reviewing the retirement relief remedies in the $2 trillion stimulus package.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to impact our communities, we want to communicate the steps we're taking at ABG Southwest to mitigate the effects it will have on our clients

One in three U.S. workers is a millennial, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Although two-thirds work for an employer that offers a retirement plan, only one-third of millennials participate in those plans. We talk to Erica Bonser, Director of Marketing at Alliance Benefit Group Rocky Mountain, and a millennial herself, about the underlying reasons for this lack of retirement plan engagement and what more can be done to encourage millennial participation.

Heightened stock market volatility may have retirement plan participants nervous about their long-term nest eggs and making the “right” decision when it comes to their 401(k)s. In this issue we discuss the importance of being intentional when it comes to investing. We also review highlights from the Investment Company Institute's research on retirement plan participant behavior.

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute's 2019 Retirement Confidence Survey, the percentage of employees who feel confident about their ability to live comfortably in retirement has rebounded back to pre-financial crises levels. In this issue we review highlights from this annual survey and provide our perspective on participants' current attitudes to retirement.

Student loan debt in America now totals more than $1.5 trillion and is now the second largest consumer debt in the U.S. after mortgages. How are employees able to juggle making student loan repayments as well as save for retirement? In this issue we look at developments in the retirement plan industry that have the potential to help.

Getting employees to participate in retirement plans is no light undertaking. Much time and effort is spent at many companies in employee enrollment meetings and education sessions. Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, typically, in any given year, only half of eligible employees participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. In this issue we look at how plan design can be used to boost participant engagement.

When 401(k)s were originally introduced by the IRS in 1981, a loan feature was included with the idea that the ability to access funds when needed, would help participants become more comfortable with contributing regularly to a 401(k). In this issue we look at how 401(k) loans can actually be detrimental to a participant's retirement readiness.

According to a recent study by the National Institute on Retirement Security, 66% of Millennials have nothing saved for retirement. In this issue we look at how this largest generation in U.S. history is potentially facing a retirement crisis.

Congratulations! You are now in charge of your tribal organization’s retirement plan. Of course, you want to do the right things to run your plan, but you may need guidance to determine what the right things are. In the first in…

Entrepreneurship is alive and well in America. However, for many of these self-employed business owners saving for retirement is often last on their list of priorities. In this issue we take a look at a number of smaller-scale retirement plan options for the self-employed small business owner that can be funded throughout their working lives.

The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers that it’s not too late to contribute to an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) and still claim it on a 2017 tax return. Anyone with an IRA may be eligible for a tax credit or deduction on their 2017 tax return if they make contributions by April 17, 2018.

When it comes to financial wellness, a recent study shows that 53% of plan participants are stressed about their finances. At ABG, we understand that today there is a real need and an opportunity to help plan participants better manage their financial lives in terms of both short- and longer-term financial goals. In this issue we provide an overview of our new Financial Wellness program designed specifically to meet this need.

Financial Finesse, a company that partners with Alliance Benefit Group (ABG) Southwest and that provides companies with a customized financial wellness program, was recently awarded five Best in Biz awards, including Company of the Year – Small and Most Innovative…

Principal’s Letter Dear Advisor: Cyberattacks have increased significantly in recent years and the 401(k) industry is not immune. Plan sponsors increasingly face the dual challenge of providing online access to participants’ retirement plans while keeping their information secure. We take…

Some companies in certain industries are using a new strategy to keep the best employees and motivate staff to save for retirement. According to an article in the July 17 edition of The Wall Street Journal, companies ranging from Microsoft…