Alamy Inertia used to be the silent enemy of retirement planning. People just didn't get around to signing up for employer-sponsored 401(k) plans. But thanks to the Pension Protect Act of 2006, regulators began allowing employers to automatically enroll employees in retirement plans, and suddenly, inertia became retirement planning's secret best friend. New employees were automatically signed up for 401(k) plans, and, at first, were required to contribute 2 percent to 3 percent of their base compensation. Nearly everybody complied without a peep, so some employers ratcheted up the minimum contribution to between 4 percent and 6 percent, enabling more employees to capture the maximum employer match. Large employers are more than twice as likely to auto-enroll their employees: According to a new study by Bank of America (BAC) Merrill Lynch, 33 percent of employers with less than $5 million in employee 401(k) plans enrolled employees automatically, compared to 71 percent of employers with more than $100 million in employees' 401(k) plans. As your 401(k) grows, it accounts for a greater share of your total portfolio if you have outside investments. That means you might want to consider actively steering it instead of continuing to let the account be directed by the choices you initially made when it was set up. These steps can help you change gears from passive to active management of your 401(k): 1. Figure out how much monthly income you will need in retirement. Calculate how much you need to save now to achieve that goal. Then, adjust your 401(k) contributions accordingly, depending on your other financial commitments and any employer matching contributions. The Employee Benefit Research Institute offers a suite of retirement income and savings calculators at its public service website, Choose to Save. Joleen Workman, an assistant vice president with retirement and investor services at Principal Financial, says a good rule of thumb is to save about 10 percent of your earnings over the course of your working career. That should yield a retirement income of about 85 percent of the salary you earned just before retiring. But if you're starting late or have had savings interruptions, you might need to bump up your 401(k) contributions to catch up. A relatively painless way to do that is to increase your automatic contribution by one percentage point annually until you reach 10 percent. Those over age 50 can save more in their 401(k) plans, Moore says, according to Internal Revenue Service rules. This calculator from Principal helps you understand your momentum toward your desired retirement income. 2. Review all of your benefits and ask yourself how adjusting one affects another. Your employer may provide financial planning services and educational workshops. Many of these services will give you an integrated view of all your benefits, from health to investment, Crain says. That means that you can get coaching on how to adjust, say, your health care pretax flexible spending account to channel more cash toward retirement savings. 3. Consider hiring an independent financial planner. According to the Principal Financial Well-Being Index, a quarterly survey, only 30 percent of employees work with financial professionals, but of those who do, 59 percent created their own financial goals. For example, if you review your 401(k) with an independent certified financial planner, you might explore if a target-date fund is a good move, says Frank Moore, founding partner of Vintage Financial Services in Ann Arbor, Mich. Target-date funds adjust the mix of investments as retirement approaches, moving from a focus on growth to stability. Usually, Moore says, you can adjust the mix of funds in an employer-sponsored plan at no cost, but confirm the terms before you initiate a trade.
Top Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Carroll]
Shares of medical robotics maker Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG ) are in free-fall today after yesterday's earnings, with the stock plummeting 4.7% after losing a bundle yesterday as well. Earnings aren't the disappointment, however: Intuitive destroyed analyst expectations and showed solid growth in both procedures and device sales. Investors haven't been so kind to the stock, however, and with shares of the company down almost 8% in the last five days alone, it's time to ask: Why is everyone selling this stock?
- [By Brian Stoffel]
Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG ) maker of the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System and market-leader in technology-assisted surgery, is slated to report earnings after the market closes Thursday. For investors who have suffered through a rough 2013 -- with shares trading down almost 20% since the beginning of the year -- here are three key areas to focus on when earnings are reported.
- [By Sean Williams]
Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG )
I know I've highlighted Intuitive Surgical as a Watchlist worthy stock previously, but following yesterday's out-of-the-blue revenue warning I think investors would be foolish not to add the robotic surgical device maker to their Watchlist if they haven't done so already. - [By Matt Thalman]
Two other big Dow winners came from the health-care industry as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) rose 2.28% and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ) gained 2.11%. Johnson & Johnson reported earnings earlier in the week and the company beat on both the top and bottom lines, but after earnings were announced, shares closed even on Tuesday, compared to Monday's close, at $90.40. While investors surely liked the fact that estimates had been topped, they didn't seem to be thrilled with some comments by management that pricing pressure was increasing. But�a poor earnings report, an FDA warning, and weak guidance moving forward from Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) yesterday�make Johnson & Johnson's medical device unit look stronger than ever. And that's why I believe shares of J&J moved higher today.
Top Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: MEDIFAST INC(MED)
Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Medifast Inc. (NYSE: MED) saw its stock down 5% in evening trading on Tuesday after the weight loss player had soft sales and guided expectations lower. Shares were still indicated down about 5%, but volume has not yet started.
Hot Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)
TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of staffing agency TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.
So what: Revenue jumped 19%, to $422.3 million, and beat estimates of $420.2 million from Wall Street. Adjusted earnings per share were also up 19%, to $0.31, outpacing estimates by $0.05.�
Top Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)
Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.
Top Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)
Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.
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