• 9/3/2020

DALBAR's Online Enrollment research uncovers the top 5 digital enrollment experiences. Congratulations to John Hancock for both their Guided experience and their Express Enroll, Securian Financial, Voya Financial and Principal Financial Group!

By Jamie Josephs

  • 9/1/2020

Barron's article highlights DALBAR QAIB Update Volume III saying, ''Active Fund Managers, and Women, Are the Stars of the Coronavirus Market Crisis''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/31/2020

Article by Financial Advisor Magazine talks about how, ''Active Equity Investors Outperform Market And S&P 500 In Q2''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/20/2020

This article from 401(k) Specialist asks a great question, ''Could the Department of Labor have underestimated the compliance costs that would be associated with its proposed regulation related to rollovers from employer-sponsored retirement plans?''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/6/2020

Why DALBAR believes the latest ESG proposal by the DOL will harm America's retirement security…and how to fix it.

By Cory Clark

  • 8/5/2020

In this article from NAPA, ''DOL's ESG Proposal Blasted by Commenters,'' find out what DALBAR has to say about Pecuniary Factors...

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/4/2020

A great explanation of how investors reacted to the market crisis and how their reactions affected their returns, ''Some TSP Investors Have Tried Trading the Pandemic.''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/25/2020

Great advice from this CNBC article citing QAIB, ''Op-ed: Investing shouldn’t be like gambling. Here's how not to go wrong.''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/21/2020

This article, ''The Fear of Stock Market Failure,'' speaks about the importance of investment discipline. ''The other way investors experience stock market failure is by just being human.''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/9/2020

''LAUREN RUDD: Evaluating the performance of mutual funds'' cites QAIB and explains why mutual funds aren't among his favorite investment vehicles.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/8/2020

''Dr. David Ashby: Chasing performance hazardous to your financial health'' cites QAIB, explaining why investors are more likely to buy high and sell low.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/1/2020

More Young Adults to Seek Out Financial Advisors Post-Pandemic

By Emily Kunka

  • 6/23/2020

DALBAR e-Delivery Research Finds Investors and Financial Firms are Both Aligned and Misaligned

By Jared Licklider

  • 6/18/2020

DALBAR's Special QAIB Report for period ending 4.30.20 is highlighted in this Marketwatch Article, ''Opinion: Bond blowout outwits investors.''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 6/8/2020

A DALBAR study was cited in this article discussing index funds and active vs. passive. "The numbers tell the story"!

By Jamie Josephs

  • 6/2/2020

Congratulations to AIG Life & Retirement in earning DALBAR's inaugural Customer Experience Excellence Award!

By Jamie Josephs

  • 5/30/2020

New article, ''Investing FOMO,'' focuses on the COVID-19 crisis highlighting DALBAR's QAIB study.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 5/13/2020

All agree that we are not yet out of the woods but no agreement on what comes next. Investors need a ''backup'' plan such as the DALBAR i-PRT.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 5/6/2020

This pandemic has catapulted Shopify to the top ahead of RBC as Canada's most valuable company today. Shopify's market capitalization edged passed RBC's during the last hour of trading, topping $121 billion. Whether Shopify stays there is still be to be seen but one thing is for certain, e-commerce has changed the buy/sell landscape in an unexpected way for many companies.

By Anita Lo

  • 5/5/2020

Today DALBAR recognized Nationwide Retirement Plans for outstanding service delivery to plan participants with the 2020 Customer Experience Excellence Award.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 5/4/2020

At the start of an anticipated re-opening, financial service firms make long term plan for remote employees. Is WFH here to stay? Check out this article from FundFire, ''Managers Are Not in a Hurry to Resume Onsite Work.''

By Brendan Yeager

  • 4/24/2020

The new DALBAR blog article offers ten tips on communicating effectively about COVID-19.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 4/21/2020

Nationwide has created ''Nimbl by Nationwide'', an app created to help alleviate clients' stress around debt concerns. The app analyzes the client's financial situation and creates a plan to help eliminate debt within a period of time that suits the client's preferences and lifestyle.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 4/20/2020

DALBAR's CMO, Cory Clark, Esq., talks investor behavior in terms of fear, loss and missing out during market crisis periods and what investors can do to protect themselves.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/17/2020

The Contact Center Community could be forever changed by COVID-19. With many customer service reps working from home, we are keeping the community informed with complimentary Advisory Reports.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/3/2020

Article by Lou Harvey in the Retirement Income Journal, ''Protect Your Nest Egg with Options.''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/1/2020

A traumatic quarter in the market that was rescued by the DALBAR i-PRT. Can this strategy save Q2 as well?

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 4/1/2020

New ThinkAdvisor article, ''Market Crisis? For Best Results, Ride It Out: DALBAR''

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/31/2020

QAIB 2020 is now available! ''Faced with a Sudden Real Threat, Will Investors Learn from Lessons of the Past?''

By Cory Clark

  • 3/27/2020

New Blog Post: Investor Panic Relief Tool: Enabling Advisors to Save Investors from Losing Big

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/10/2020

Announcement: DALBAR i-PRT Goes Live Midst of Market Panic

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/5/2020

Lou Harvey quoted in this article, ''Market Timing: More Evidence Why It Doesn't Work''.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/4/2020

New DALBAR research takes a look at asset protection strategies through the prism of opportunity cost, with a view toward lowering investors' hedging costs or even increasing their total returns.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 3/3/2020

''Money is made at turning points, and the crowd is rarely right at critical moments'', with supporting evidence from DALBAR's QAIB Study.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 2/28/2020

To learn more about DALBAR and how we help financial firms in their pursuit of a superior standard of care, check out this article from CardRates.com!

By Jamie Josephs

  • 2/28/2020

Don't let your clients sink with the Dow, DALBAR i-PRT will ensure that the carnage is over!

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 2/27/2020

DALBAR Agrees Investor Panic Is A Natural Response. As market response to Coronavirus continues to spiral, investor fear continues to fester. So what should investors do?

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 2/26/2020

DALBAR's 22nd Annual Trends and Best Practices in Investor Statements report recognizes Pershing, BlackRock, Merrill Lynch, and AIG as the leaders in investor communications.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 2/13/2020

DALBAR Seeks Out Best-in-Class Annuity Illustrations: Illustrations are essential to the annuity sales process and DALBAR's recent review found Lincoln Financial to be the top provider of these communications, with New York Life, Jackson, Nationwide and Pacific Life all rounding out the top 5.

By Jared Licklider

  • 2/6/2020

DALBAR ranks financial institutions’ retirement planning. The study on client experience provides insights for all advisors

By Anita Lo

  • 2/5/2020

DALBAR Canada has ranked the Big Five Banks assessing their level of support to Canadians worried about retirement. Congratulations to RBC who ranked #1!

By Anita Lo

  • 1/28/2020

The market rout #DoomEcho has begun again. Could it be right this time? Don’t just wait… plan what to do if it is true, check out your options with i-PRT.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 1/28/2020

E*Trade's StreetWise survey indicates bearish investors amid uncertainty about the marketplace, causing historically reliable sectors to face diminishing interest.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 1/16/2020

The 2020 Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior is now available for pre-order! Pre-purchasers receive many benefits including access to the Premium version ($1,500 value) for the price of the Standard Edition.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/15/2020

Congratulations to Putnam Investments for earning the Total Client Experience Award for the 9th consecutive year!

By Brendan Yeager

  • 1/14/2020

Congratulations to Thrivent, Nationwide, Ohio National Financial Services, Lincoln Financial Group and Prudential Financial for making DALBAR's top 5 in digital experiences for universal life policyholders.

By Jared Licklider

  • 1/9/2020

Congratulations to J.P. Morgan, Putnam Investments, Vanguard and Wells Fargo for achieving the Excellence in Sales Support Award. These financial services firms inbound sales desks are being recognized for their unrelenting commitment to providing a Superior Standard of Care.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 1/9/2020

Principal aims to increase Hispanic employees' understanding and confidence in saving for retirement by rolling out a culturally relevant onboarding experience.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 1/6/2020

Equity strategist says there's too much to like in the markets…and that spells doom. ''Stocks could see a double-digit drop in the coming months, warns Wells Fargo''

By Cory Clark

  • 1/2/2020

With the #DoomEcho reverberating all year, sounds like an admission of a mistake! Could it be? “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE? WHY LAST YEAR’S STELLAR RETURNS MAY HAVE BEEN A REVERSAL OF ‘EXCESSIVE PESSIMISM’”

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 12/30/2019

Nationwide Retirement Recognized For Exceptional Service To Plan Participants Telephone Support Earns 2019 Plan Participant Service Award

By Emily Kunka

  • 12/17/2019

Some great points by Stephen Korving, ''A combination of scary headlines in the press, combined with sharp drops in the stock market often causes investors to 'move to the sidelines' until they feel safer.''

Financial advisors need to be able to communicate a viable alternative when investors go into panic mode. How about i-PRT?

By Jamie Josephs

  • 12/12/2019

This #DoomEcho spreads fear for ten years: Investors grit their teeth for a ‘low return decade’. If wrong, investors lose 10 years of returns! Avoid panic and learn the facts with i-PRT

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 12/12/2019

DALBAR Announces 2019 Insurance Service Award Winners! Congratulations to Guardian Life and Pacific Life for their unrelenting commitment to providing a Superior Standard of Care.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 12/11/2019

Ohio National launched FireLight, an innovative electronic delivery tool that enables faster policy deliveries with less delivery expenditures and smoothly moves advisors through the collection requirement process.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 12/10/2019

Congratulations to Goldman Sachs, BlackRock , Park Avenue Securities and Pacific Life, winners of the 2019 Financial Intermediary Service Award.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 12/3/2019

DALBAR Announces the Winners of the 2019 Mutual Fund Service Award!

Financial Service Firms Recognized for Best-in-Class Contact Center Customer Service

By Brendan Yeager

  • 12/3/2019

See what the Seeking Alpha podcast, "SA for FAs," says about the new Investor Panic Relief Tool for dealing with the #DoomEcho.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 12/2/2019

Moving the goal post on #DoomEcho to next year. Have the predictors given up on the crash of 2019? How many investors were fooled?

By Louis S Harvey

  • 12/2/2019

Advisor Perspectives article talks about, Avoiding the Cost of Panic. "Investors lose massive amounts due to panic selling in down markets. More can be done about this perennial problem."

By Louis S Harvey

  • 11/26/2019

…and the #DoomEcho beat goes on, this time Forbes reinforces an imminent recession and says get ready. Use i-PRT to prepare for the panic the #DoomEcho will create.

By Louis S Harvey

  • 11/19/2019

An enhanced RetireSMART App by MassMutual now includes enrollment capabilities,the ability to designate a contribution amount and select investment options.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 11/19/2019

Be prepared to answer a Warren nomination with short term protection through i-PRT (Try Tool).

By Louis S Harvey

  • 11/14/2019

Guardian, a DALBAR awarded financial services firm, "Announces Record $982 Million Dividend Payment to Policyholders".

By Jamie Josephs

  • 11/7/2019

The new self-guided Voya Digital Adviser marries ease and flexibility with a streamlined interface, quick account opening, progress tracking and asset re-positioning any time of the day or night.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 10/24/2019

Lincoln Financial Group has introduced its new self-service tool, Spectra, enabling life insurance applicants to obtain quote ranges on both permanent and term life insurance products instantaneously.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 10/2/2019

Article from InvestorPlace, "Selling a Market Darling", brings to light the need for an alternative to throwing out good investments (the baby) for fear of market hysterics (the bath water)… Keep the baby and protect him/her from loss! Index Puts anyone?

By Louis S Harvey

  • 9/27/2019

ICMA-RC has introduced hands-free account access via Amazon Alexa, enabling participants to check the status of their retirement accounts using voice commands.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 9/18/2019

Lou Harvey is quoted in Investment News article, "Edelman Financial Engines is bringing financial planners to small 401(k) plans".

By Jamie Josephs

  • 9/18/2019

DALBAR's "Un-Panicking Investors" strategy is explained by Chuck Jaffe in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 9/17/2019

Press Release: DALBAR Poses the Question, "Who is Right?" We live in a world where information is at our fingertips and sometimes, the bombardment of too much information can lead to erratic behavior and panic.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 9/17/2019

Podcast: Lou Harvey from DALBAR Inc. discusses a strategy that should help investors stay put, literally, in the next market downturn on Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/30/2019

Pepper, the first social humanoid robot makes its Canadian debut at a HSBC bank branch in Vancouver. There are already 7 working at HSBC branches in the US. Beyond just a novel idea, if these robots truly reach their full potential, the retail banking experience will be transformed. The fascination with robots has always been strong so it makes a lot of sense to integrate them in useful ways in a retail banking environment.

By Anita Lo

  • 8/21/2019

DALBAR's Investor Insights Series Examines Priorities, Preferences and Behavior of Investors. Read about our first in the series on Online Security - a Fine Line between Clients Feeling Benefit Versus Burden.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/13/2019

Calling All Statements! Be Recognized in DALBAR's 22nd Annual Trends and Best Practices in Investor Statements Report. See how your firm's statement compares to the industry and receive a complimentary statement review.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/9/2019

Allianz recently improved upon their consumer and advisor websites by using space more wisely, adding convenient info tiles as well as a scrolling banner to draw your eye. The sites also benefit from added quick links to high traffic areas. Allianz has also added an embedded video as part of the Twitter ribbon, a proactive search field, and an easy way for users to share the page via social media or email.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/8/2019

American National completed an exciting refresh to their website creating more visual appeal with improved spacing, cool colors and subtle animations assisting in guiding the user. The homepage offers multiple ways to find key information. Account holders also now have a new and convenient way of paying bills without the need to log in.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/8/2019

Ubiquity now offers its Edukate benefits platform to small businesses clients. Edukate helps inform plan participants about their benefits as well as how to ensure financial wellness. This tool, which is part of the firm's CensiblyYours Financial Wellness package, helps small businesses offer a program that is easy to implement and creates more employee engagement.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/7/2019

DALBAR's Louis Harvey interviewed in the Seeking Alpha podcast on what drives investors to lose money

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/6/2019

Financial Services Firms Achieve the DALBAR Superior Standard of Care for Defined Contribution Digital Experiences

By Jamie Josephs

  • 8/5/2019

DALBAR's QAIB Study mentioned in Sarasota Herald-Tribune article

By Emily Kunka

  • 8/2/2019

Check out the newest analysis showing the way risk tolerance changes with market returns!

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 7/26/2019

Another great installment to our series Core Principles for Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Principle #4, Listen to Your Customers!

By Brendan Yeager

  • 7/18/2019

Fixed income investment owners are not getting the most out of their investments according to a recent Fidelity Investments survey. Retiring or near retirement Americans seem to be lacking knowledge regarding the basic principles of fixed income investments such as where these types of investments can be purchased or what happens at maturity date.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 7/15/2019

Amundi Pioneer has unveiled a newly redesigned website with improved navigation and additional fund pricing and performance data. The improved online experience also includes updated fund fact sheets, news releases and market commentary.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 7/12/2019

Enhancing the ease of conducting financial activities on the go, ICMA-RC has added facial and touch recognition to its mobile app. The updated app also offers plan participants a fresh new look and a more user-friendly interface.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 7/11/2019

CMO Cory Clark is quoted on the DALBAR study in the Chicago Tribune's Ask Kip article.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/10/2019

Pamela Yellen, a New York Times best-selling author cites the DALBAR study in explaining why the average investor's annual return is lagging inflation.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 6/17/2019

Article from CNBC Make It mentions DALBAR's Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior in, "How to take advantage of all the uncertainty with the stock market".

By Jamie Josephs

  • 6/17/2019

Eaton Vance introduced a new tax calculator that supports both shareholders and advisors. The calculator is designed to help the shareholder gain a more complete understanding of the taxes they pay on investments. Many factors are taken into consideration such as income level, tax filing status,geographical residence and more. The new calculator allows for a comparison of after-tax income and evaluates any tax consequences from selling securities.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 6/14/2019

Further enhancing its security protocols, Empower Retirement has added multi-factor authentication to its website. The user is able to designate the destination of the authentication code and easily change that destination. Registering their device will alleviate the need to provide the code each time users log-in.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 6/13/2019

Our blog series Core Principles for Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience continues with Principle #3, A Service Culture is Paramount!

By Brendan Yeager

  • 6/12/2019

With the release of Reg BI, DALBAR CMO Cory Clark, continues his series on mitigating conflicts of interest. This installment (Part 4) looks at the use of computer models to eliminate conflicts of interest and uses ERISA as a guidepost for its implementation.

By Cory Clark

  • 6/7/2019

The use of financial technology can fill so many needs in the advisor-investor relationship. This article by Steff Chalk explores how technology can enrich the investor's experience by telling a story. It can also be the answer to mitigating conflicts of interest. See 408(g) & SunAmerica.

By Cory Clark

  • 6/5/2019

Regulation BI is here! (More to come)...

By Cory Clark

  • 5/31/2019

Engaged Teams Provide Better Experiences, the #2 Principle in our blog series, Core Principles for Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience

By Brendan Yeager

  • 5/16/2019

Great Customer Experiences Don't Just Happen, the #1 Principal in our blog series, Core Principals for Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 5/14/2019

The living-standard replacement ratio, or LSRR has advisors rethinking the way they can help clients save enough for retirement. Other ratios focus solely on income in your working years, the LSRR takes a personalized approach to help measure retirement needs by factoring in home ownership, savings, and dependents (aging parents & kids that remain in your nest). LSRR makes a lot of sense given evolving retirement needs.

By Anita Lo

  • 5/10/2019

Market News World reported on DALBAR's Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior study saying, "If you want to be an investor, don’t be an average one."

By Jamie Josephs

  • 5/10/2019

Ohio National has swapped out their old website design for a more visually appealing one with additional functionality. Financial planning articles are highlighted via a page wide banner. Adding to the appeal of the updated site are actionable graphic tiles to draw the user in. Post-login enhancements include a new and improved account summary section that provides a comprehensive view of the client’s portfolio.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 5/9/2019

Core Principals for Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience is the introduction to an upcoming 4 week series that will answer the question, "how is it that some companies are able to consistently deliver exceptional customer experiences while others are always struggling?" Stay tuned!

By Brendan Yeager

  • 5/9/2019

Mass Mutual has introduced a new workplace tool designed to help users keep an eye on their financial health and security. The tool called MapMyFinances will assist defined contribution plan participants with balancing and evaluating their short and long-term financial needs. Employees are asked a set of questions which determine a personal financial wellness score. From there, the goal is to improve the employee’s wellness score by using the tool to set priorities, to-do lists amongst other things.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 5/8/2019

A new website with full-page banners, larger fonts and accented“insight” tiles has been launched by Federated. A manually toggled primary banner has also been added that includes a webcast replay link from Federated’s CEO Christopher Donahue. The updates that have been made emphasize customer service with multiple ways that a user can easily contact the company with questions.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 5/7/2019

In the exciting world of mobile apps, Principal has made changes to improve the usability and efficiency for their retirement plan participants. Principal has improved security, added revolutionary retirement planning tools, added a large library of educational materials as well as the option to modify account options directly within the app.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 5/6/2019

The New York Post speaks with Cory Clark on the impact that just a few basis points can have on achieving one's long-term investment goals.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/29/2019

What if you could ask your Smart Speaker "Hey Google, What is My Financial Forecast?" A new blog post from DALBAR talks about the possibilities of artificial intelligence in financial services

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/23/2019

The SEC’s Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative provided amnesty to self-reporters. This period has ended and enforcement is underway. Fred Reish on the SEC’s enforcement of share class selection disclosure: "The quality and quantity of investment advisers’ disclosure of conflicts of interest is under the SEC’s microscope now. The SEC’s treatment of anybody they find during the enforcement investigations will be more demanding than it would have been in the [share class selection disclosure] initiative.” Be sure to get a 3rd party review of current practices and disclosures as this will no doubt be a part of SEC examinations in 2019 and beyond.

By Cory Clark

  • 4/22/2019

Columnist Chuck Jaffe speaks with real investors from Main Street and discovers how investor behavior described in DALBAR’s QAIB report looks and sounds in the flesh.

By Cory Clark

  • 4/22/2019

Many firms have reversed course in their fiduciary plans since the DoL rule was vacated. Now various state proposals are springing up to bring the conversation back into the fold. The DoL rang the fiduciary bell and thinking that it can be un-rung may be a mistake.

By Cory Clark

  • 4/17/2019

The Department of Labor recovered $1.6 billion in 2018. There were 1329 civil investigations, 64% of which resulted in a monetary recovery or corrective action. 111 of these went into litigation. There were also 268 criminal investigations. Attorney Carol Buckmann recommends regular self-audit and use of self-correction program. DALBAR's Certification of Reasonableness reports identify issues before they become a DoL statistic.

By Cory Clark

  • 4/12/2019

How is AI being used for mobile in Financial Services? Check out our latest Mobile InSIGHT report to learn more!

By Emily Kunka

  • 4/10/2019

Lou Harvey is The Big Interview on Money Life with Chuck Jaffe! Listen now.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/8/2019

Interesting article from the Daily Republic in California mentions QAIB Study, "Wealth Matters: Stock market ‘guru’ same as ‘charlatan’"

By Jamie Josephs

  • 4/3/2019

Marketwatch opinion article, "Investors’ widely-held beliefs about ETFs and index funds may be wrong" uses DALBAR's latest QAIB findings as support for investor behavior.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/25/2019

QAIB article is published in Money Magazine: Investors Doubled Their Stock Market Losses in 2018 By Making This Costly Mistake. Here's How to Avoid It

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/25/2019

Average Investor blown away by market turmoil in 2018
DALBAR study shows the Average Equity Fund Investor lost twice the money of the S&P in 2018

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/21/2019

Transamerica’s retirement website has a fresh new look and feel that is easier to navigate. Most links are now housed in the main navigation menu and the color palette has been updated to provide a more clean layout.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 3/21/2019

Fidelity Investments' clients are being offered a Web browsing experience in Virtual Reality to monitor their portfolio. Data visualization tools and collaboration capabilities avail customers of a fully immersive experience in which to view their investments solo, or with a family member or financial advisor.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 3/21/2019

Is The Index Bubble About To Burst? Index investing is no protection from reality. QAIB shows that “Reality” can cost 1/3 of your gains!

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 3/20/2019

Fidelity faces 3 separate challenges of its “infrastructure fee.” DALBAR’s Lou Harvey weighs in on the topic of fee reasonableness,arguing that the consideration of fee reasonableness must take place in the context of value. Using the Gartenberg standard for reasonableness, the “infrastructure fee” passes muster and Fidelity should easily prevail on all 3 fronts.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 3/18/2019

John Rekenthaler (Morningstar) discusses the rise and fall of investment expenses. He makes the point that, after considering all services, there is no free lunch. Equally important is the fact that comparing specific fees across multiple companies is a fool’s errand since there is no alignment of which services are free and while other services are funding the free ones!

This is likely to get even more confusing in the future, leaving the “all-in” cost as the only reliable measure of investment expenses.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 3/12/2019

The fiduciary standard continues to get muddled by the SEC. Does disclosure cure a breach of fiduciary duty? The answer should be “no” but as one fiduciary advocate points out; the SEC seems to be sending a different signal. Broker/dealers settled with the SEC for $125M in investor restitution for failing to disclose to investors that they were being sold more expensive shares that contained 12b-1 fees when less expensive share classes were available.

By Cory Clark

  • 3/4/2019

New York Life recently streamlined their homepage to reflect a more simple and user friendly experience. The updates are most noticeable through images highlighting the features that would be of most interest to the end user in a sleek and attractive "less is more" manner.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 2/28/2019

For the first time in the 10 years we have been tracking representative tenure, negative attrition (leaving the company) has exceeded positive attrition (moving internally) for contact center representatives, threatening the well-established personnel feeder system and driving down training ROI. Today is the last chance to pre-order DALBAR's Financial Services Contact Center Trends and Best Practices report to learn more about this and other trends impacting the industry.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 2/25/2019

The work-at-home trend continues, with more than 1 in 3 financial services companies now allowing contact center representatives to work remotely. Learn more about this and other changes in the financial services contact center landscape with DALBAR’s Financial Services Contact Center Trends and Best Practices report.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 2/21/2019

Gartenberg wins again, in biggest mutual fund case ever! The court applied the Gartenberg standard in rejecting the excessive fee claim against Blackrock. The plaintiffs claimed their fees were excessive since Blackrock charged lower fees to its subadvisory clients. The court agreed with Blackrock that this practice was legitimate if it complied with Gartenberg.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 2/20/2019

DALBAR is pleased to award HSBC InvestDirect the 2018 Telephone Service Seal of Excellence.

By Anita Lo

  • 2/19/2019

DALBAR study shows older women defy age and gender stereotypes when it comes to using technology to manage finances with paperless statements.When it comes to using paperless statements to manage finances, it turns out that older women are more tech savvy than many would think.

By Shelley Eramo

  • 2/14/2019

DALBAR is honored to be recognized for our awards by customer communications manager OpenText Exstream, calling them "the 'Oscars' of the Financial Services industry.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 2/8/2019

New Blog Post! Eligible for a DALBAR Award? 8 Ways Firms are Sharing the News

By Jamie Josephs

  • 2/1/2019

Website visitors to Penn Mutual’s site will notice a sleek update to the homepage improving upon the clarity and making it easier to maneuver. The most noticeable update includes limiting the number of drop down menus within the navigation bar ensuring that each is highly relevant to the user. A shift toward promoting more visually appealing articles are a welcome improvement as well.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 1/31/2019

62% of firms promote e-delivery on account statements, but 74% of the industry feels it has “little effect” on increasing enrollment. So why use it? Because when it’s done right it can push the needle on e-delivery adoption. DALBAR’s 21st Annual Trends & Best Practices in Investor Statements examines the prevalence and usefulness of e-delivery statement messaging and recognizes the leading statements and best practices in Brokerage, Mutual Fund, Defined Contribution and Variable Annuity.

By Jared Licklider

  • 1/30/2019

Edward Jones reports that it added over 1,500 advisors in 2018, making it the largest brokerage firm in the nation in terms of number of advisors. Congratulations to an excellent firm with a second to none culture.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/29/2019

NAPA’s Nevin Adams points out an eye opening comment from 1st circuit Judge in Putnam vs. Brotherston: “…any fiduciary of a plan such as the Plan in this case can easily insulate itself [from liability] by selecting well-established, low-fee and diversified market index funds.” Mr. Adams asks if this is suggesting that a lineup of index funds brings about a presumption of prudence. Good question!

By Cory Clark

  • 1/28/2019

DALBAR Canada is pleased to announce that the following firms have recently earned DALBAR’s 2018 Telephone Service Seal of Excellence.

Férique Investment Services

HSBC Invest Direct

Questrade

By Michelle Slute

  • 1/24/2019

The case of Putnam vs. Brotherston could magnify the fiduciary risks of those who act on behalf of retirement plans and/or investment managers. If heard by the US Supreme Court (and I expect it will) the result could mean that any investor loss could be followed by an avalanche of lawsuits that require fiduciaries to prove a negative… they did not breach their fiduciary duty! In other words, fiduciaries would be guilty of a breach unless they can be shown to be innocent!

On the other hand, the court could make it clear that fiduciaries are innocent until they are proven guilty. The burden of proof would lie with the party with the loss.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 1/23/2019

Nevada is the latest state to take fiduciary matters into its own hands. The proposed regulation imposes a fiduciary duty on broker-dealers and sales representatives.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/17/2019

2019 kicks off with a huge strategic alliance between RBC Global Asset Management and BlackRock Asset Management Canada Ltd. Two leaders under one RBC iShares brand is a win-win for all. The $60 Billion combined suite offering becomes the largest, most comprehensive ETF offering in Canada. This could be the best executed strategic alliance of the year!

By Anita Lo

  • 1/16/2019

Hartford Funds is calling 2019 the year of the participant, advocating a measurement of retirement plan success, not effort. Measuring retirement plan success is the cornerstone of DALBAR’s plan analysis. For an independent measure of plan success, just ask DALBAR.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/10/2019

Lesson to be learned from the District Court’s dismissal of the ERISA complaint against Georgetown University – look carefully at the harm actually suffered by the class representatives. Representatives of a class action must have actually been injured for the class to have constitutional standing to sue. So if the complaint alleges poor performing funds, the representative plaintiff must have actually lost money in those funds. If the complaint alleges unreasonably high withdrawal penalties, the plaintiff must have actually incurred the penalty.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/9/2019

Congratulations to Putnam Investments who has earned the Total Client Experience Award for consistently delivering an exceptional all-around contact center experience to mutual fund shareholders.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 1/8/2019

Having low fees or impressive performance won’t get you hired. However, having high fees or poor performance will get you fired. According to Ignites Research, only 8% of clients chose their advisor based on fees, and only 15% of clients chose their advisor based on performance. But the story doesn't end there, 50% of clients who closed their account did so at least partially due to fees, and 47% closed their account at least partially due to performance.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/4/2019

Investors have been experiencing a shock as of late, going from the calm markets of the past few years to a volatile, gut-wrenching test of nerves. The Average Investor has held its own during these calm years but will need coaching more than ever to overcome the psychological challenges that could wait ahead.

By Cory Clark

  • 1/2/2019

Canadian mortgage expert anticipates the decline of in-branch mortgage sales as lenders lower their costs by cutting out the middlemen (a.k.a. “mortgage specialists”) and replacing call-centre reps (often no more than lightly trained customer-service agents) with salaried mortgage experts and chat bots.

By Kevin Lam

  • 1/2/2019

The Supreme Court may soon decide if an agreement to arbitrate all claims that an employee may have against their employer includes a breach-of-fiduciary-duty claim under ERISA § 502(a)(2). The 9th Circuit ruled that such an arbitration agreement does not apply because the action is on behalf of the plan, not the individual. If SCOTUS disagrees, will it eviscerate participants' right of action under ERISA?

By Cory Clark

  • 12/21/2018

John Hancock has recently made changes to the log-in process for plan sponsors that improves security while making the process easier. A verification passcode is no longer necessary, but rather secondary security checks will be completed using authentication protocols. In the event those protocols are not successful, the system will revert back to the original method utilizing the verification code - a definite improvement to the sponsor experience.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 12/20/2018

DALBAR Announces the 2018 Best-in-Class Annuity Service Providers. In the "Age of the Customer" see who the leading providers are that consistently deliver best-in-class telephone service experiences to today's demanding consumers.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 12/20/2018

Capital preservation will be in the spotlight when the market turns over, putting pressure on passive investments. ERISA litigation specialist calls for plan sponsors to look deeper than the superficial argument on costs, saying it’s hard to believe there is no place for active management in a retirement portfolio.

By Cory Clark

  • 12/18/2018

DALBAR Announces the 2018 Insurance Service Award Winners "...This year’s award winners are not only able to efficiently meet customer needs, but also take the time to explain today’s increasingly complex policies, and empathize with their policyholders...” The 2018 #Insurance Service #AwardWinners are...

By Brendan Yeager

  • 12/17/2018

ERISA litigation is not going away but a documented, prudent process will help protect plan fiduciaries from liability. Read this article from Cohen & Buckmann, P.C..

By Cory Clark

  • 12/14/2018

Experienced investors prefer active investing using individual stocks over using an ETF strategy according to a recent E*TRADE survey. Individual stocks are the investment vehicle of choice as they allow investors exposure to specific sectors while ETFs generally do not. While the preference for investing in individual stocks has declined over the past few years, it still remains stronger than a preference for investing in ETFs.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 12/13/2018

A survey from Empower shows that 66% of small business owners are in favor of open MEPs. Much work is still to be done by Congress to make open MEPs a reality. Read how to make MEPs attractive to small businesses.

By Cory Clark

  • 12/13/2018

The most important measurement of retirement plan success is the income it will replace. Sadly, according to PSCA only 31% of retirement plans measure their success by this metric. DALBAR’s Certification of Reasonableness uses income replacement as one of many metrics to measure plan success. That plan success is directly tied to the reasonableness of fees.

By Cory Clark

  • 12/12/2018

Like Apple, TD Bank is getting into the wallet game too. This is merely the beginning of making your physical wallet disappear. Banks are transforming into tech companies in many ways.

By Michelle Slute

  • 12/11/2018

DALBAR recognizes those providers which stand out amongst their peers in the quality of telephone service and support being delivered post-sale to financial professionals with the Financial Intermediary Service Award.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 12/10/2018

Every broker/dealer and registered rep should read the Report on FINRA Examination Findings. Suitability continues to be an area of deficiency. With changes on the horizon (Regulation BI), brokers should take steps now to ensure their house is in order.

By Cory Clark

  • 12/7/2018

Principal is seeking to maximize the efficiency of plan administrators via its upcoming chat option to allow sponsors to get immediate answers to their questions. The firm offers a sneak peek of what the feature will look like to build anticipation about the new functionality.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 12/7/2018

Forbes highlights the new era of CX in this article with statistics from a Gartner survey. Many companies are looking to compete in 2019, how about yours?

By Jamie Josephs

  • 12/6/2018

Canadian banks miss opportunities with mass affluent Newcomers to Canada. The needle hasn’t moved very much from the last time the study was undertaken in 2014. The 2018 study confirms that the banking needs of mass affluent Newcomers are often overlooked.

By Anita Lo

  • 12/5/2018

Best-in-class Mutual Fund Providers recognized for outstanding telephone service to shareholders with the 2018 Mutual Fund Service Award

By Brendan Yeager

  • 11/15/2018

DALBAR Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

By Jamie Josephs

  • 11/13/2018

CNBC Commentary talks investor behavior mentioning DALBAR's QAIB, "Take these steps to control your (over)reaction in the face of market volatility"

By Jamie Josephs

  • 10/29/2018

Supreme Court could open floodgates for excessive fee lawsuits if it takes up the case of Brotherston v. Putnam Investments. Putnam is expected to ask the Court to decide whether the plaintiff (Brotherston) or the defendant (Putnam) has the burden of proof of fiduciary breach after the plaintiff suffers a loss. Should the Court decide that the defendant must prove that it acted prudently, one can expect thousands of cases to be filed after every severe market decline. On the other hand, if the plaintiff must show the proof, the cost of establishing this proof will be so high that this type of litigation will be impractical.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 10/26/2018

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services (JHRPS) is putting “participants first” by offering a Cybersecurity Guarantee to repay qualified participants for unauthorized transfers from 401(k) retirement accounts.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 10/26/2018

A newly redesigned website for The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America offers visitors a better overall experience including a new Insights &Resources tab on the main menu in addition to the pre-existing options. Guardian has also beefed up the site with extras such as a short video with more of a personal angle on the home page and an easy way for visitors to find a financial professional.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 10/18/2018

October 17, 2018 marks the first day of Marijuana Legalization in Canada. It took 95 years to reach this historic day and finally companies can now chase the Green Rush. Other first world economies eagerly awaits the net effects of this multibillion dollar industry.

By Anita Lo

  • 10/3/2018

In April of 2016, cyber villains impersonating Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. contractor representatives called the technical support line and requested a reset of 3 representatives’ passwords. The cyber villains used the usernames and passwords they obtained to gain access to PII for at least 5,600 of customers. In two instances the phone numbers used had previously been flagged for similar fraudulent activity! Learn more about authentication practices in the Financial Services Industry here to better protect your firm and your clients.

By Cory Clark

  • 10/1/2018

Why not offer a sidecar plan? Employee contributions and matches fund these plans until saving for emergencies are covered then contributions are automatically flipped into a retirement plan! These taxable savings accounts provide a cushion for unexpected expenses -without taking loans or withdrawals from the 401(k).

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 9/28/2018

The most unlikely state has taken the lead on establishing a fiduciary standard. New Jersey plans to be the first to require a fiduciary standard for all advisors doing business there. NJ has rejected the SEC best interest regulation as being inadequate. The fiduciary bell cannot now be “un-rung”! To the Fiduciaries Go the Spoils.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 9/27/2018

Blake Goldring, one of Canada's most well known CEOs in the mutual fund business hands over the reins to Kevin McCreadie, AGF's current President & CIO. Founded in 1957, AGF played a key role in launching the mutual fund business in Canada. Traditional mutual fund businesses are seeking a renewal of leadership for future growth. The on-boarding process for the AGF's new CEO took 4 years.

By Anita Lo

  • 9/26/2018

The Family Savings Act of 2018 is expected to be voted on in the House this week. The bill would among other things help to open Multiple Employer Plans, increase portability of lifetime income investments, and make some significant changes to RMD rules.

By Cory Clark

  • 9/20/2018

New York University seeks to punish the law firm (Schlichter Bogard & Denton) and the plan participants for “filing a duplicative (now a dismissed) lawsuit which Plaintiffs and their counsel filed in a blatant attempt to avoid the Court’s prior rulings,”. The original case was one of several excessive fee suits filed against university 403(b) plans. In the NYU case, the plaintiffs alleged losses of more than $358 million.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 9/19/2018

A grocery chain’s credit card outperforms credit cards offered by Canadian banks. Loblaw Cos.’s President’s Choice Financial credit cards rank No. 1 for customer satisfaction, beating out cards issued by the Canada’s biggest banks, according to a study published Monday by J.D. Power.

By Kevin Lam

  • 9/19/2018

Testimonials are great, but if you’re an RIA it could cost you BIG. The SEC recently fined an RIA $250,000 for violations of the Testimonial Rule. Get the benefit of a testimonial without the quarter million dollar fine. Learn more about DALBAR’s No Action Letter and Client Ratings.

By Cory Clark

  • 9/17/2018

Bloomberg published an in-depth fee discussion “Unpacking the Bundle--Prudent Practices for Assessing Bundled Services in This Era of 401(k) Plan Fee Litigation”. The author makes the point that bundled fees cannot be compared using simple metrics. This concurs with the DALBAR finding that a reasonable plan fee in a $100M plan can vary from 32 to 176 basis points, based on the specific quality and nature of services. See DALBAR analysis of “Minimum and Maximum Plan Fees”.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 9/13/2018

Focused on simplicity and functionality, Vanguard recently unveiled an attractive new shareholder portal page. The oath of investor loyalty is highlighted front and center and pop-up features help visitors maneuver around the site with ease. Clean, minimalistic icons subtly draw visitors' eyes to available page options.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 9/11/2018

Pacific Life’s new user-centric website focuses on helping clients achieve their financial “life goals”. Designed to better connect with clients through its super relevant offerings, the site features customer stories, financial calculators and customer-friendly product categories. An estimated read-time on informational articles further underscores the firm’s commitment to supporting visitors’ use of the site.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 9/8/2018

Wealth manager, John Napolitano uses DALBAR’s investor returns study to explain why investors need more than the high efficiency, low cost robo. The robo does not ask you “why”.

By Susan Oberton

  • 9/7/2018

DALBAR President and CEO, Lou Harvey spoke with BenefitsPro about Open MEPs and how to make them appealing to small businesses.

By Cory Clark

  • 9/7/2018

Fidelity Investments introduced a new advice solution Fidelity Personalized Planning and Advice for plan participants at any company that offers a Fidelity workplace savings plan. The innovation is available at no additional cost and is a tool that will allow participants to create a customized financial plan focused on long-term investment goals. Expert advice is available through Fidelity and the plan will evolve as the participant's needs change.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/31/2018

President is expected to announce today a release of Multiemployer Plan restrictions, giving millions of small business employees access to retirement plans. TPAs will be in the best position to facilitate what will become an industry transformation.

By Cory Clark

  • 8/30/2018

The use of remote representatives has been among the biggest changes in financial services contact centers in recent years. While the number of firms allowing reps to work remotely remained flat from 2014 to 2016, the number of reps at those firms taking advantage of the opportunity skyrocketed, going from 13.7% in 2014 to 49.1% in 2016! Stay tuned for DALBAR's 2018 Trends & Best Practices in Financial Services Contact Centers to find out where things stand today.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 8/28/2018

SEC orders Aegon to pay $97M. Technology can help mitigate risk, but if not applied properly it is no help. Having investment models vetted by an independent 3rd party helps to ensure models are functioning as intended and in accordance with generally accepted investment principles.

By Cory Clark

  • 8/23/2018

This mistake cost Merrill Lynch $9 Million.

By Cory Clark

  • 8/22/2018

DoL is still on the hunt for traditional fiduciary breaches. While the no-enforcement policy died with the new fiduciary rule, old enforcement measures are very much active. The focus is on conflicted compensation among fiduciary service providers [such as 3(38’s and 3(21’s)] and asset managers.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 8/20/2018

AI in financial service will certainly need expert certification to address the compliance issues. The framework exists in retirement plans [408(g)] but wealth management is uncharted and complex.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 8/16/2018

The current bull market may go down in history as the longest. Since March 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has already risen 286%, the S&P 500 advanced 320% and the Nasdaq has soared 521%. Huge contributors of the bull run are the FAANG stocks (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google)…time will tell how much fuel is left in the tank for this bull run.

By Anita Lo

  • 8/15/2018

We are excited to announce that the submission window is now open to be included in this year’s Trends & Best Practices in Investor Statements report and ranking! Statements and client reporting submissions will be accepted through September 30th. The report will be published in January 2019. Please reach out to bhalloran@dalbar.com with any questions.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/13/2018

The SEC's proposed Regulation Best Interest seeks to impose a duty on brokers to mitigate certain conflicts of interest. This series of articles will explore the various ways firms can effectively mitigate or eliminate conflicts of interest.

By Cory Clark

  • 8/13/2018

Check out our new e-Delivery Insights & Resources page to stay in the know when it comes to electronic delivery. Don’t forget to sign up for the complimentary quarterly e-Delivery newsletter!

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/8/2018

Register for a complimentary webinar on Tuesday 8/14 from 2-2:30 pm ET in which we will share highlights from the 20th Annual Trends & Best Practices in Investor Statements report and let you know how to make sure you are included in our upcoming 21st annual report.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/7/2018

The trend of favorable judgements continues, 7 cases reported here in the last month! Wells Fargo wins a second judgement in the case that charged a fiduciary breach connected to use of proprietary target date funds in its 401(k) plan.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 8/7/2018

Print & Paper industries go after SEC for e-Delivery as a default. The Coalition for Paper Options have joined Consumer Action, the American Forest & Paper Association, the Printing Industries Alliance and Twin Rivers Paper Company in filing a federal petition to stop Rule 30e-3, adopted June 4 by the SEC to switch the default distribution method for annual and semi-annual mutual fund performance reports from mail to e-Delivery.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 8/6/2018

Great American Life recently unveiled a newly redesigned RIA website highlighting features such as educational articles, advice for the independent advisor and white papers. Multiple portfolio simulator tools were also introduced including one that generates a side-by-side comparison of a given portfolio with and without a fee-based product.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/6/2018

Cracks are clearly emerging across the global housing markets. Stringent lending rules, tax changes, and affordability concerns are all contributing to the downward pressure on global property prices. From Sidney to Toronto, Beijing to New York, homeowners and property investors are hitting the pause button. Proof is in the data.

By Anita Lo

  • 8/3/2018

This month’s WebMonitor Newsletter highlights a refresh to the John Hancock Investments website. The site has been enhanced with design and navigation improvements focused on readability, user customization and directing users’ attention towards John Hancock’s investment products.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 8/2/2018

Continuing the recent pattern, the case against NYU’s 403(b) plan was thrown out. It was dismissed, finding that while “no fiduciary may passively rely on information provided by a co-fiduciary”, “…consolidation may lead to lower recordkeeping fees. However, record keepers may offer a variety of collateral services to participants which also have value. Thus, any examination of fees needs to account for total value — that is, both recordkeeping and collateral services.”

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 8/2/2018

Investors waiting for a bitcoin ETF will have to keep waiting. SEC rejected Bats BZX Exchange, Inc.'s petition for review to list and trade shares of a bitcoin ETF. Commission stated that bitcoin-related markets are in early stages and can't adequately address the risk of fraud and manipulation. This may change as bitcoin-related markets develop in the future.

By Cory Clark

  • 8/1/2018

Pacific Life launches a new redesigned consumer website available across all digital and mobile platforms that focuses on guiding and educating in order to help achieve one's "life goals".

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/26/2018

Yet again Customer Experience (CX) was rated as the most exciting business opportunity for companies in the coming year – Here is a list of 7 ways to create an effective CX strategy. The one critical element missing from this list – Measurement.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 7/25/2018

Five tips from Dale Jackson, BNN Bloomberg to ensure your portfolio doesn’t take a vacation while you’re having fun this summer:

By Anita Lo

  • 7/25/2018

Gartenberg Rule prevails again! Blackrock wins a favorable summary judgement in an excessive fee case based on the Gartenberg Rule. This is the latest of losses for plaintiffs in excessive fee cases. These include cases against Edison (Hewitt), Checksmart (Cetera), AT&T (Fidelity) and Wells Fargo. Could this be a trend?

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 7/24/2018

Announcing the redesign of the new Registered Fiduciary (RFTM) Certification website where financial professionals are explicitly identified for their commitment to act in a fiduciary capacity.

By Jamie Josephs

  • 7/23/2018

Recognizing that the customer experience (CX) is critical to long-term success in today’s economy; more and more companies are expanding their C-Suite to include a Chief Experience Office (CXO). Here are some of the top attributes necessary for succeeding in that role.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 7/13/2018

Here is how advisors can take advantage of the chaos left by the demise of the DoL Rule. Smart advisors will use the promised standard of care to attract new clients and provide the level of service the DoL Rule required.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 7/13/2018

A small 401(k) plan wins in court. Checksmart/Cetera, the first small plan and advisor arrangement to face excessive fee 401(k) litigation wins dismissal after two years. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio found that the ERISA three year limitation on bringing such actions had expired when the claim was made. This case will undoubtedly discourage thousands of potential cases against small plans that have had excessive fees in the past.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 7/12/2018

According to McKinsey & Company, “Leading companies understand that they are in the customer-experience business, and they understand that how an organization delivers for customers is beginning to be as important as what it delivers.”

By Brendan Yeager

  • 7/11/2018

Check out our new blog post! "The Case for Plan Sponsors to Support Participant's Financial Health"

By Shelley Eramo

  • 7/3/2018

Forrester predicts that 30% of companies will see Customer Experience declines in 2018, leading to a loss of growth. No need to worry, DALBAR is here to help you keep your CX on point.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 7/3/2018

America's wealthy are moving to cash as market enthusiasm hits a wall. Is this the best indication of a rising equity market for second half of 2018? History indicates that investors guess wrong most often in volatile markets! The Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior (QAIB) found that investors act on their concerns before strong equity markets.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 7/2/2018

Hackers are moving past data to real money. The concern that protecting data is insufficient and authentication must protect the underlying funds is now a proven reality. While focus on data remains an important consideration, it is the access to funds that needs better protection.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 7/2/2018

Court rejects $1 million payment to Schlichter Bogard & Denton after they won the excessive fee suit against Edison for 401(k) plan. This blow may take the wind out of the sails of the law firm that is behind so many ERISA excessive fee cases.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/27/2018

DALBAR's Recognition for Excellence program allows professionals the opportunity to differentiate themselves from industry peers

By Jamie Josephs

  • 6/25/2018

As part of a rebranding effort, Securian launched a clean, contemporary redesigned website that places a greater focus on customers. A bright color scheme with warm family photos as well as a new logo representing “the family circle” is presented. A video is offered explaining the new visual direction for Securian.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 6/25/2018

The Supreme Court has ruled that the use of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) that preside over SEC cases is unconstitutional. The Court found that the ALJs do not undergo the appointment and confirmation process that the constitution requires. Presumably then, gathering evidence, issuing subpoenas, examining witnesses, and imposing sanctions they have ordered are nullified. ALJs are the principal enforcement tool of the SEC so this is a crippling blow to the agency’s enforcement.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/22/2018

Symetra’s updated corporate site has improved navigation and a super inviting look and feel. Mega menus and large menu blocks offer seamless navigation and immediate orientation to the site’s offerings. Though both old and new sites appropriately placed emphasis on life-stage events, the combination of a natural yet bold color scheme, friendly graphics and impactful placement provide a clear positioning of Symetra’s offering as well as a very pleasing user experience.

By Brooke Halloran

  • 6/22/2018

E*TRADE has expanded its mobile tool suite to include real-time market scanning to mobile devices with their LiveAction Mobile Scanner. On-the-go advanced market scanning tools are now available to traders including: 24 unusual activity scanners and 43 volatility scanners to live-stream the market. The ability to save favorite scanners is also available. (An excerpt from the WebMonitor Site Watch newsletter).

By Brooke Halloran

  • 6/21/2018

Could we actually begin educating kids for jobs? The contemplated merger of Education and Labor Departments would mean upheaval but it could also mean that 401(k) education could be taught in schools… I wish!

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/21/2018

The race to the bottom continues, will quality follow?  Declining mutual fund costs in 401(k) plans will lower benchmarks, putting plan sponsors at risk. Rather than chasing a shrinking benchmark, plan sponsors should place an economic value on plan services to draw their own line in the sand. 

By Cory Clark

  • 6/20/2018

Despite solid investment returns in the past couple of years, only 55% of High Net Worth individuals connect strongly with their wealth manager according to the 2018 World Wealth Report, a leading benchmark that tracks the wealth of High Net Worth individuals and the global and economic conditions that drive change in the Wealth Management industry.

By Anita Lo

  • 6/19/2018

Nationwide touts their multiple DALBAR Plan Participant Service Award wins in a new video highlighting many of the great things they are doing with their Retirement business.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 6/19/2018

New! Mobile InSIGHT Report: Innovations in the World of Mobile Optimized Web Sites. Ask us about our mobile seal award!

By Jamie Josephs

  • 6/18/2018

Microsoft study supports DALBAR findings: most US consumers consider service quality to be “very important”, service expectations continue to rise, and a majority of customers switched brands due to a poor service experience.

By Brendan Yeager

  • 6/18/2018

L.A. Times rates investor behavior and discipline as the #1 factor to help or hurt a portfolio’s return. Cites DALBAR’s Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior (“QAIB”) study.

By Cory Clark

  • 6/15/2018

AARP testifies at the SEC’s Investment Advisory Committee, calling for improvements to the proposed Customer Relationship Summary Form.

By Cory Clark

  • 6/14/2018

Asking for client referrals can be difficult, and in some cases puts the client in a tough spot. Understanding what's allowed under the SEC testimonial rule allows advisors to let their clients' collective voice be heard.

By Cory Clark

  • 6/14/2018

38 States now permit e-delivery of insurance documents. Expect all states to be on board within a year.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/12/2018

Fidelity’s Founders Class, an opportunity to invest in visionaries has raised $65M in the Canadian marketplace in less than 2 short months. The formula is simple…invest in leaders who are innovative, client obsessed, and have skin in the game.

By Anita Lo

  • 6/11/2018

TIAA Tops Password Security - DALBAR WebMonitor Highlights Best Plan Participant Password Practices

By Susan Oberton

  • 6/7/2018

New Blog Post! Five Tips for Improving Financial Service Firms' Website Performance

By Shelley-Ann Eramo

  • 6/7/2018

Financial professionals use investor behavior study to underscore the virtue of patience and avoid investors' temptation to time the market.

By Cory Clark

  • 6/7/2018

First impressions count! DALBAR took a look at the State of the Industry with respect to Online Enrollment processes for Defined Contribution plans.

By Susan Oberton

  • 6/6/2018

SEC normalizes e-Delivery with two year window to comply. e-Delivery will become the default for regulatory documents in January 2021. Investors must be notified beforehand in prospectuses, annual and semiannual reports.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/6/2018

Check out the latest e-Delivery benchmarks for an update of today’s best practices.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/6/2018

What is a 408(g) Advisor?

By Susan Oberton

  • 6/5/2018

DALBAR identifies the biggest e-delivery concerns that the Financial Services industry faces

By Susan Oberton

  • 6/4/2018

New study underscores another value of service quality: Competitive advantage. “The top reason that clients fire their financial advisors is failure to return phone calls in a timely manner.”

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 6/4/2018

Five Firms Earn High Honors in Dalbar’s Analysis of Performance Reports – Congrats to #1 @MerrillLynch!

By Susan Oberton

  • 6/4/2018

One financial professional indicted ($11M), and one arrested ($8M) in New York in the last week. Both targeted elders.

The rise in financial exploitation of elders underscores the need for Registered Fiduciaries (RF™), who are thoroughly vetted professionals.

By Cory Clark

  • 5/30/2018

Simplii Financial, a direct banking brand within the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), and Bank of Montreal (BMO) both announced on Monday possible security breaches. Fraudsters contacted both firms claiming that they were in possession of certain personal and financial information from the firms' client base.

A recent report by DALBAR on Authentication practices discusses key methods used to prevent disintermediation of financial assets by theft or disruption by cyber-villains who have already acquired the data necessary to threaten disintermediation.

By Anita Lo

  • 5/29/2018

InvestEdge, the leading provider of innovative financial advisory solutions, today announced it has been awarded the prestigious DALBAR Communications Seal of Excellence for Performance Reporting.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 5/29/2018

TIAA and Northwestern University vindicated in excessive fee lawsuit. Second such suit that failed in court.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 5/24/2018

University of Chicago to pay $6.5 million + freeze fees to settle retirement plan lawsuit. Unreasonable fees led to costly settlement. Too bad thet did not have a Certification of Reasonableness!

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 5/23/2018

Yahoo references DALBAR's QAIB in report of “5 things I Wish I Knew in My 20s”… (1) Time is your most valuable asset, (2) Investing in penny stocks doesn't usually work out well, (3) Buy-and-hold is the way to go, (4) Don't have a herd mentality, (5) The "automatic" 401(k) contribution rate is by no means enough.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 5/22/2018

The necessary cyber security depends on the cyber services provided… new worksheet shows if your security is adequate.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 5/22/2018

Study shows maximum reasonable cost at $1,764,000 (176 bps) for $100 million plan with high contribution levels, well balanced investments, great service.

By Louis S. Harvey

  • 4/1/2018

QAIB 2018 is now available

By Susan Oberton

  • 3/3/2018

New MobileInSIGHT report is now available

By Jamie Josephs

  • 2/27/2018

How Scottrade Could Have Avoided DoL Rule Charges

By Louis S. Harvey