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One week after the release of the final retirement security rule, senior officials with the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) defended the rollout of the fiduciary rule while taking a deeper dive to explain some of the key changes.
The DOL on April 23...
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Editor note: This story appeared in the Spring 2024 Plan Consultant magazine issue.
When a client informs your firm that they’re adopting a cash balance (CB) plan alongside their existing profit sharing 401(k) (PS/k) plan, it’s crucial to understand the implications and necessary adjustments....
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While sympathizing with the participant-plaintiffs in the case, a federal judge finds no obligation to use “reasonable” life expectancy and interest rates in a pension calculation conversion.
Plaintiffs Thomas Reichert, Stuart Buck, and Kenneth Henrich (on behalf of themselves and others similarly...
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Editors’ Note: This is part IV of a four-part series about the importance of aligning the retirement benefits an employer offers with employees’ interests and needs. Part I is here; Part II is here; Part III is here.
Of course, an employer does not want to waste time and resources providing...
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Of all the promising provisions in the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, one of the most expensive (as the federal government does math, anyway) is likely to be one of the most challenging to implement.
It’s not effective till 2027, so there’s still some time to figure it out—but I’m talking about the new...
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Legislation that seeks to bolster the retirement income of teachers in Rhode Island—including through participation in the federal Social Security system—is going to receive further study.
The Finance Committee of the Rhode Island House of Representatives at an April 25 hearing decided to further...
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Overall, private-sector employees are more than four times as likely to have access to a defined contribution plan than a defined benefit plan, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The BLS in “TED: The Economics Daily” reports that in its most recent National Compensation Survey...
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Editors’ Note: This is Part III of a four-part series about the importance of aligning the retirement benefits an employer offers with those employees’ interests and needs. Part I is here; Part II is here.
Increasing employees’ financial literacy figures into the effort to better align...
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Gordon Hartogensis’ term as Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) will end on April 30, 2024. The PBGC made the announcement on April 24.
Hartogensis, the first PBGC Director to complete a full five-year term in that office, was nominated in May 2018 by then-President Trump...
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The Department of Labor (DOL) released the Retirement Security Rule, informally known as the fiduciary rule, to great fanfare on Tuesday—including a press conference and White House ceremony.
Now that it’s released, what changes does the final rule make to the proposed rule? Here are eight...
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Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 ASPPA Leadership Council.
Elected at-large members of the ASPPA Leadership Council serve for one term of four calendar years. Nominees must be credentialed ASPPA members nominated by at least two members to be considered.
Submit a nomination today...
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On April 23, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final Retirement Security Rule—also called the Fiduciary Rule—that it said will “protect the millions of workers who are saving for retirement diligently and rely on advice from trusted professionals on how to invest their savings.”
This...
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Editors’ Note: This is part II of a four-part series about the importance of aligning the retirement benefits an employer offers with those employees’ interests and needs. Part I is here.
Employers can take a variety of steps to better align their benefits with employees’ needs and interest as...
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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) guidance to permit bankruptcy trustees to use its Abandoned Plans Program has moved off of the OMB dashboard and is back with the department, signaling the review is complete on the long-awaited release.
A summary description of the proposal explains that the...
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The American Retirement Association has confirmed that the Department of Labor (DOL) will release the fiduciary rule, officially called the Retirement Security Rule, on April 23.
Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su will announce the final regulation in a Treaty Room ceremony at 5 p.m.
It was...
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Editor’s Note: This is part I of a four-part series about the importance of aligning the retirement benefits an employer offers with those employees’ interests and needs.
You offer a retirement plan, but participation is not what you had expected.
Why? What’s not to love? After all, retirement...
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An annual study that assesses Americans’ level of financial literacy finds a strong connection between people's retirement fluency and how financially prepared they are for retirement.
For instance, Americans correctly answered an average of only 40% of the retirement-related questions. And among...
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In a discussion at the recent NAPA 401(k) Summit in Nashville, Tenn., Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, explored the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the advisory and regulatory landscape. He emphasized the rapid advancements in AI technology and the urgent need for the...
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Last week, a new report claimed to find a big jump in a so-called “magic” number for retirement, based on what survey respondents said they thought they’d need. As though they’d know.
It garnered quite a bit of coverage, including an article in The Wall Street Journal (and a comment from none...
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For the IRS, fiscal year (FY) 2023 “was a transitional year,” largely due to funding provided under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and application of technology, according to Commissioner of Internal Revenue Danny Werfel. His made his remarks in the agency’s most recent data book, an annual...
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