Personal Finance Daily: How to figure out 401(k) disclosures

Personal Finance Daily FEBRUARY 02, 2012 Thursday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Unraveling the mystery of 401(k) disclosures Mortgage rates fall once more to record lows The doctor can listen to you now When your quarterly 401(k) statements arrive in the mail this year, there'll be something different. More accurately, there'll be a lot more that's different. New regulations are requiring sponsors of retirement plans to provide detailed information about plan features and investment options, as well as fees and expenses. In his retirement column, Robert Powell explains it all and tells you what you need to look out for. Also on MarketWatch, Kristen Gerencher writes in her Vital Signs column about a growing movement in medicine to let patients talk and for doctors to listen to their stories. Some medical experts believe that by sharing stories in a conversational manner, patients learn more about themselves and take inspiration from other's stories. Doctors also benefit because they get more useful clinical information and understand their patients better. — Anne Stanley , managing editor, Personal Finance Mortgage rates fall once more to record lows Mortgage rates hit record lows this week, after growth in the economy fell short of expectations, Freddie Mac's chief economist said Thursday. Read more: Mortgage rates fall once more to record lows. The doctor can listen to you now Storytelling seems hardwired into human behavior, and more physicians are leveraging it to try to improve patient care or even change health-care policy. Read more: The doctor can listen to you now Unraveling the mystery of 401(k) disclosures Under a new Labor Department regulation that goes into effect this year, sponsors of retirement plans will be required to disclose detailed information about plan features and investment options, as well as fees and expenses to participants, beneficiaries and even workers who are eligible to participate in a plan but don't. Here's how to figure it out. Read more: Unraveling the mystery of 401(k) disclosures. INVESTING Facebook IPO has many mutual-fund friends Investors are wondering about the Facebook status of their mutual funds — meaning whether their fund has a piece of Facebook and stands to profit from the social-networking firm's initial public offering, writes Chuck Jaffe.. Read more: Facebook IPO has many mutual-fund friends. Christian Utility Investor debuts at the top Another Christian letter debuts in the top slot in the Hulbert Financial Digest's annual ranking of investing newsletters, writes Peter Brimelow. Read more: Christian Unity Investor debuts at the top. Kumbayah in Westminster: Prosperity sans growth? Think tank occupies Parliament with some timely ideas on how to build a happier, sustainable society without relying on economic growth. Read more: Kumbayah in Westminster: Prosperity sans growth? N.Y. Times: Who's running the company? The New York Times Co. (NYT) reports lower fourth-quarter profits, and questions linger about the next chief executive, writes media columnist Jon Friedman Read more: N.Y. Times: Who's running the company? Easy Facebook money already has been made Comparisons to Google are simply not valid, writes John Shinal, citing as a crucial difference the richly valued funding rounds and secondary-market trading to which Facebook shares have been exposed. Read more: Easy Facebook money already has been made. Getting back to the gold standard OK, so Wall Street legend Jim Grant may not succeed Ben Bernanke anytime soon. But he says gold, not paper currency, is the future, writes Brett Arends. Read more: Getting back to the gold standard. ECONOMY AND POLITICS Senate leaders push insider-trading bill Senate leadership are hoping to have lawmakers begin vote on amendments Thursday to legislation seeking to curtail insider trading of securities by lawmakers, though many of the measures under consideration are controversial and could bog down final passage of the bill. Read more: Senate leaders push insider-trading bill. Bernanke again urges action on deficit Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke once again urges Congress to put U.S. fiscal policy on a sustainable path, warning that the nation risks the possibility of a sudden fiscal crisis unless action is taken. Read more: Bernanke again urges action on deficit. Fourth-quarter productivity growth slows The productivity of U.S. businesses rose at a slower rate in the fourth quarter as labor costs rose, the government says. Read more: Fourth-quarter productivity growth slows. Jobless claims in U.S. fall 12,000 to 367,000 Fewer first-time applications for unemployment benefits last week: Read more: Jobless claims in U.S. fall 12,000. Get the latest news on our mobile site: http://www.marketwatch.com/m MarketWatch has sent you this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. To ensure you receive this newsletter in the future, please add marketwatchmail.com to your list of approved senders. Sent to: kumaresan.selva.blogger@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Subscribe Copyright 2012 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (updated 6/26/07). 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