The current economic conditions have forced many companies to make difficult cuts in their expenses. One such example is the company match – employers are having to either reduce their contributions to the employees plan or eliminate it completely. But what about those who have a Safe Harbor 401(k) plan? Are they allowed to make changes to their matching contribution? The answer, according to planadviser.com, is yes.

The American Savings Education Council has designated the week of February 22 through March 1, 2009 as America Saves Week. This week promotes increasing the savings rate for Americans and the America Saves week Web site offers tools and tips to help many people start saving. In addition, it offers tools for employers to use to get their employees to start saving, such as materials to download, and suggested activities such as:

In the current down market, it is now especially important for retirement plans to offer a diversified investment fund line-up in their portfolio, according to an article in CNNMoney.com. That means investing in a variety of asset classes.

The fluctuations of the stock market over recent months are not the only factors that can impact your retirement plan, says a recent article in “U.S. News and World Report”. Reacting to the condition of the economy, some employers are looking for ways to reduce costs but continue to offer retirement plan benefits. The following areas could be affected:

Making a change is never easy, and that is especially true for picking a new 401(k) provider. Fortunately, an article on 401khelpcenter.com provides some guidance on questions and other things you should be thinking about. NADART is pleased to be able to offer many things the article points out.

With the way financial markets have performed over the last few months, now may be a good time to think about personal finance strategies for the future. An article by Bankrate.com titled Nine Smart Personal Finance Moves in 2009 offers some hints and potential courses of action for participants, which include: