Morningstar’s latest Retirement Plan Landscape report finds that while the average cost of workplace retirement plans continues to decline, expenses still vary significantly—especially for those in smaller plans, who often pay nearly three times as much as participants in large plans. 

These cost discrepancies stem largely from economies of scale, with larger employers able to spread administrative expenses more efficiently. Despite the variation in fees, most participants across plans have access to high-quality investments, with over 94% of defined-contribution assets allocated to Morningstar Medalist-rated options. 

The report highlights that even small plans can be cost-effective, with 20% of them coming in below the median cost for medium-sized plans. However, more than $600 billion has exited workplace retirement plans annually since 2020, often due to rollovers into IRAs when employees change jobs. 

Finsum: Investors should carefully weigh whether their workplace plan offers better value through low fees and strong investment options before making such moves.

With a sea of business books available, finding the right one can be overwhelming for entrepreneurs, which is why this curated 2025 reading list highlights the essential titles. 

1. Kathryn Finney’s “Build the Damn Thing” empowers underrepresented founders with practical strategies and an unapologetic call to action for claiming space in business. 
2. Andy Dunn’s “Burn Rate” offers a raw, introspective look at the mental health toll of scaling a startup, blending startup success with personal vulnerability. 
3. “Competing in the Age of AI” by Iansiti and Lakhani explores how AI is reshaping business operations and provides a roadmap for leaders ready to embrace algorithmic thinking. 
4. Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” shifts the leadership conversation toward courage, empathy, and authenticity, qualities vital for modern entrepreneurs. 

Finsum: Whether navigating funding, scaling teams, or redefining leadership, these books offer timely insights for anyone building a business in 2025.

After a record-setting 2024, Europe’s private equity market entered 2025 under pressure from geopolitical tensions, macroeconomic uncertainty, and waning investor confidence. 

Deal activity declined notably in Q1, with total value dropping 24.6% and a sharp pivot toward smaller, strategic add-on deals indicating a defensive investment posture. Exit activity also slowed, with a 25.2% drop in exit count and extended holding periods, as firms waited out volatile public markets and weak valuation multiples. 

Yet some regions, like the Nordics and DACH, outperformed thanks to local stability and stronger monetary frameworks. On the fundraising front, European PE firms raised €23.7 billion in Q1, with strong interest in mid-market vehicles and new entrants like Thoma Bravo signaling optimism. 

Finsum: Despite near-term caution, the market showed resilience and adaptability, laying the groundwork for a more stable second half.

Retired financial advisors consistently report that thoughtful succession planning plays a major role in their retirement satisfaction, according to Raymond James surveys conducted since 2018. 

One of the first key steps is identifying a successor early, whether through personal networks, firm support, or tech tools like Raymond James’ Practice Exchange. Once a successor is chosen, communicating the plan clearly and proactively to clients helps ease their concerns and ensures continuity in relationships. 

Many advisors delay these conversations due to anxiety, but regular updates build trust and allow clients to transition comfortably. Another often overlooked element is preparing mentally for retirement—knowing how you'll spend your time, whether it’s mentoring, traveling, or simply relaxing. 

Finsum: Ultimately, planning both the handoff and your post-career lifestyle is crucial to making your retirement both smooth and fulfilling.

Broadridge’s Fi360 has rolled out a new tool designed to help plan advisers and sponsors evaluate retirement income and stable value products with a more tailored, due-diligence-focused approach. The Retirement Product Evaluator, powered by CANNEX data, enables users to customize assessments across 60 criteria, allowing them to prioritize features based on the needs of a specific plan or participant base. 

With interest in retirement income rising—90% of large institutional clients now rank it as a top plan design priority—the tool aims to meet growing demand for clarity and transparency in annuity evaluation. 

Unlike mutual fund scoring tools, this evaluator avoids rigid scoring and instead invites a deeper, more nuanced analysis given the complexity of the products involved. While adoption of in-plan annuities remains low due to fiduciary and recordkeeping hurdles, Broadridge hopes its tool can demystify options and boost comfort levels among plan sponsors. 

Finsum: Already in use by major firms, the evaluator reflects an industry shift toward equipping retirement plans with tools for both income generation and long-term stability.

While it’s often said that changing broker-dealers results in losing 30% of your client book, the actual retention rate depends heavily on where you're leaving from, where you're going, and how the transition is handled. Advisors moving from banks to independence often do face steeper losses, due to legal and structural barriers, while those shifting between independent broker-dealers typically experience much smaller attrition. 

The key to maintaining client loyalty lies in how the move is communicated—clients are more likely to stay if they understand how the switch benefits them, not just the advisor. Advisors should frame the conversation around enhanced service offerings, broader product access, reduced fees, or improved technology and stability. 

A real-world example saw one advisor retain 98% of clients by clearly articulating these benefits during a move from a failing firm to a more robust platform. 

Finsum: Ultimately, when advisors lead with client-first messaging, transitions can not only preserve but even grow their practice.

State Street Global Advisors has launched a new series of target date funds—called the Target Retirement IndexPlus Strategy—that includes a 10% allocation to private markets managed by Apollo. 

These funds, structured as collective investment trusts (CITs), pair State Street’s index strategies for public markets with Apollo’s evergreen fund providing exposure to private credit, equity, and real assets. Brendan Curran of State Street likens this evolution to shifting into a new gear in retirement investing, acknowledging the growing significance of private assets in diversified portfolios. 

The collaboration follows earlier efforts between State Street and Apollo, including the launch of a private credit ETF. Apollo views this as part of its broader push to tap into the wealth management space and expand access to private investments, aiming to grow its assets in this segment to $150 billion by 2029. 

Finsum: The launch reflects a broader trend of asset managers integrating private markets into retirement solutions to meet demand for diversification and improved outcomes.

A wave of fixed annuity contracts sold in 2020 with five-year surrender periods is maturing, potentially unleashing over $70 billion in investable assets. Many of these annuities, purchased at average rates around 2%, are now competing with products offering closer to 5%, giving investors a strong incentive to move their money. 

While some clients may shift to higher-yielding fixed annuities, the trend is expected to boost flows into less capital-intensive options like RILAs and fixed indexed annuities. Insurers with strong distribution networks and scalable, SEC-registered products could be best positioned to capture this movement. 

At the same time, many traditional fixed annuity issuers are stepping back due to capital constraints, relying more on reinsurers or exiting the market altogether. For advisors, the end of these surrender periods presents both a challenge and opportunity—clients may be targeted by competitors, but those assets can also be redirected into new, potentially more flexible portfolio strategies.

Finsum: Paying attention to these trends in annuities can give advisors a leg up on the competition.

Custodian transitions can make RIAs anxious about losing clients, but careful planning and strong communication can significantly reduce attrition risk. On average, advisors may lose nearly 20% of client assets during a transition, but that figure often reflects poor preparation rather than an inevitable outcome. 

The key to a successful move lies in two areas: reinforcing client relationships and clearly explaining the reasons and benefits behind the change. Advisors should prioritize transparency without overloading clients with technical details, offering reassurance, a timeline, and emphasizing how the switch enhances service. 

Relationships that feel unstable before a transition may signal deeper issues, making them worth addressing whether or not a move happens. 

Finsum: Ultimately, sticking with a subpar custodian out of fear can hurt more than switching—especially if poor service impacts how clients perceive the advisor’s value.

Active ETFs combine professional management with the liquidity and transparency of ETFs, making them powerful tools for portfolio construction. They offer investors access to active security selection and the potential to outperform benchmarks, while still benefiting from intraday trading, tax efficiency, and often lower costs. 

These funds are especially valuable in areas of the market with inefficiencies, where deep research and targeted exposure can improve outcomes. Derivative-income ETFs can enhance portfolio income and stability by generating yield through options, offering an equity-based alternative to fixed income. 

Meanwhile, buffer ETFs help manage downside risk by capping losses (and gains) over set periods, making them useful for preserving capital during volatile markets. 

Finsum: Together, these active ETF strategies provide investors with flexible, diversified, and goal-oriented components for building resilient and adaptive portfolios.