(This is the second of a two-part series highlighted the stories that drew the most interest among Fiduciary News readers in 2010.)
We took a peak at our internal analytics and uncovered the stories that had the most page-views in 2010. Given all the rancor about 12b-1 fees, Target Date Funds and the Fiduciary Standard, the most widely read story just might surprise you.
But before we continue the countdown with the top five most widely read Fiduciary News stories in 2010, let’s go over a couple of honorable mentions. They didn’t quite crack the top ten, but they earned their right to be heard either by generating a lot of comments or a lot of buzz in the fiduciary social media sphere.
Honorable Mention #1: “401k 2.0 – A Proposal,” (December 7, 2010) This highly controversial opinion piece generated the most reader comments (so far) of any Fiduciary News article. The proposal gets ripped apart by some and praised by others. Which side of the aisle do you fall on?
Honorable Mention #2: “Will 401k Plan Sponsors Wonder: Doth the 12b-1 Industry Protest Too Much?” (November 9, 2010) Fiduciary News doesn’t often make news with investigative reporting but it did in this article when it discovered what appears to have been a major financial professional organization covering up some important data in their comment letter to the SEC.
Without further ado, here’s the remaining top five most widely read Fiduciary News stories in 2010:
#5 “New Study Explains Why the 401k Match FAILs,” (November 16, 2010) Pre-publication draft of new study sheds new light on the value – or lack thereof – of 401k matching and participant education. In a Fiduciary News exclusive, one of the study’s authors suggests a solution.
#4 “Yale/Harvard Study Reveals Disturbing 401k Fee Paradox,” (June 1, 2010) If the DOL requires the 401k plan fiduciary to ignore a fund’s investment performance, but the SEC still requires funds to disclose that performance, which will 401k investors choose? More importantly, who’s left holding the liability bag?
#3 “New White Paper Reveals 3 Greatest Fiduciary Liability Threats to 401k Plan Sponsors,” (August 23, 2010) The current economic setting only heightens fiduciary liability. Last year, the DOL logged more than 4.5 corrected violations per business day. With aggressive litigators using technology to sniff out these violators and others, what’s a 401k plan sponsor to do?
#2 “Will 401k World Change by Fall? 3 Pressing Regulatory Issues 401k Plan Sponsors Need to Know Right Now (Part I of II),” (June 15, 2010) The first of a two part series, this article anticipates the coming regulatory actions of the July and August. These events may prove a watershed for 401k plan sponsors as new rules will dramatically alter how 401k plan sponsors manage their companies’ retirement plans. The second part of this series also proved widely read: “4 Liability Reducing Strategies for Today’s 401k Plan Sponsor (Part II),” (June 21, 2010) This article outlines the three issues that linger like a ticking time bomb. They’re out there. They’re going to go off at some point. We just don’t know when. Plan fiduciaries need to get ready for them.
#1 “Annuities the Next 401k SNAFU? Advisers Offer 6 Reasons Why,” (February 17, 2010) Long before the DOL made public its consideration of annuities in 401k plans, Fiduciary News asked several prominent independent investment advisers what they felt about the joint agency RFI. They revealed six major concerns every 401k fiduciary must consider regarding annuities.
Did you miss #6-#10? If so, check out the initial installment of this series: Top Ten Most Widely Read Fiduciary News Stories in 2010 (Part I of II)
