Four ways interest rate hikes can affect your finances – and how to manage it Inflation is affecting many areas of our lives – whether you’re at the grocery store, a gas station, buying clothes online, hiring a contractor or doing almost anything that requires you to spend money. Earlier this year...

Your 401(k) Offers You Valuable Benefits You Just Can’t Find Anywhere In the midst of economic adversity, market volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and a host of other things (including a still-active pandemic, now in its third year), it can be hard to find a silver lining. However, there is one...

Flexing on plan design features can help improve outcomes for lower income workers. Depending on the nature of your business and the varied experience, education and expertise required of your workforce, you may have a significant population of lower income workers. The Defined Contribution...

Despite challenges, Americans remain focused on saving for retirement. In the face of economic uncertainty, market volatility, geopolitical unrest and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, plan participants have continued to save for retirement. Vanguard’s annual report, “ How America Saves 2022,” cites a...

On the surface, retirement readiness did not suffer significantly in 2020, according to a close examination of the 1.1 million participants in 1,076 plans reviewed for a recent white paper. Of course, the market experienced significant dips in the first quarter of 2020, but results were broadly...

Mental Health and Money Webinar View Full Webinar Presentation Worrying about finances can have an impact on mental health and affect how you manage your money. HTLF Retirement Plan Services invites you to watch our latest financial wellness webinar, “Mental Health and Money.” Understand how the two...

More than a year after the start of the pandemic, you may be pleased with the overall growth of the assets in your company retirement plan. After all, more assets generally mean better prospects for retirement security for your valued employees. But according to a recent triennial survey of wealth...

According to the 2021 Fidelity Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, an average retired couple age 65 may need approximately $300,000 saved (after tax) to cover health care expenses in retirement. There are a number of factors behind this escalating cost challenge. In general, people are living longer...

The Department of Labor (DOL) released guidance in January 2021 that will help plan sponsors keep track of participants. Finding former employees who still have plan balances but no longer work for the company can be challenging. And losing track of them may be a fiduciary issue because of the...

Managing your blood pressure is a key component of a healthy heart. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly half of adults in the United States (47%) have hypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 millimeter of mercury (mmHg) or a...

The Nuts & Bolts of Your Investment Line-Up View Full Webinar Presentation When it comes to finances, you can’t fake it till you make it. Understanding the principles of investing, as well as how they work together, can help set you up for success to reach your financial goals, even if you’re just...

Use this tool to help keep your debt in check and improve financial wellness. Your debt-to-income ratio (or DTI) measures your monthly debt payment against your monthly income (before taxes or before other deductions have been made). To calculate your DTI, add your total monthly debt payments and...