"Plan sponsors should take this ruling as an opportunity to review and strengthen their beneficiary designation procedures ... First, ensure that plan documents clearly articulate the methods by which participants may designate or change beneficiaries ... Second, train HR personnel to recognize informal beneficiary change requests ... Third, consider implementing confirmation systems that notify participants when beneficiary changes have been successfully processed ... Fourth, consider conducting a beneficiary designation review and audit." [Packaging Corp. of Am. Thrift Plan for Hourly Emps. v. Langdon, No. 25-1859 (7th Cir. Feb. 2, 2026)] MORE >>
"In all four of its amicus curia briefs, the DOL has explained its position that, where a plan allows forfeitures to be used to offset employer contributions or pay plan expenses, there is no breach of fiduciary duty where a plan fiduciary decides to use forfeitures to offset employer contributions." MORE >>
"By shifting many administrative and fiduciary duties to a pooled plan provider (PPP), employers can spend less time managing plan mechanics and more time focusing on their business and employees. That said, a PEP does not eliminate employer responsibility entirely ... [It] creates a clearer, more efficient division of responsibilities that often offers employers greater peace of mind." MORE >>
"[A]rtificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are seen as major catalysts in plan administration and participant experience. AI is anticipated to enhance personalized financial guidance, predictive modeling, and customized communications." MORE >>
"[It] is not necessary to garner comprehensive familiarity with everything that's involved in these programs in order to provide the support clients need.... [T]hese three stacks are shaping up ... Each of these stacks seems to be developing their own dialect and focus.... Each of these stacks seems to be developing their own dialect and focus." MORE >>
"By expanding their allegations against ERISA plans, plaintiff firms unlocked the ability to sue individual plan sponsors, and sometimes individual plans, multiple times.... [O]ver a dozen companies ... faced multiple class ERISA lawsuits over the past two years, some by the same plaintiff firm. [This article provides an] analysis of ERISA litigation ... to highlight its unfairness to the plan sponsor community, and its impact on the fiduciary liability insurance market." MORE >>
"The net financial position of the single-employer insurance program is projected to increase significantly over the next 10 years ... The net financial position of the multiemployer insurance program is likely to remain positive for more than 40 years." MORE >>
"[T]he confidence boost tied to having an advisor is actually most pronounced among lower-balance savers. In other words, professional guidance may be especially impactful for younger employees who are still in the early stages of building wealth. That matters, because Gen Z is already engaging with retirement saving." MORE >>
"The risk that receives the least amount of attention is likely a cognitive decline ... Studies have shown that financial literacy peaks in the mid-50s and declines steadily thereafter, even among those without diagnosed cognitive impairment. The ability to evaluate complex financial investment decisions, recognize fraud, and manage tax-efficient withdrawals diminishes exactly when the stakes are the highest." MORE >>
"[T]he main advantage of delaying until later in the year is a bit of extra tax-deferred compounding.... The big benefit to taking RMDs as soon as possible is to ensure that you don't forget and risk a penalty. ... Taking distributions semiannually, quarterly, or monthly, with those distributions equaling the full-year RMD amount, helps ensure that you receive a range of prices for the assets that you sell." MORE >>
Rev. Dec. 2025; 85 pages. "This publication gives you the information you need to determine the tax treatment of your pension and annuity income under the General Rule.... The General Rule is one of the two methods used to figure the tax-free part of each annuity payment based on the ratio of your investment in the contract to the total expected return." MORE >>
"In response to recommendations from the [GAO], the IRS has made the new model notices easier for participants to read and is urging plans to make each notice available as soon as possible before the distribution date so the participant can make educated decisions about whether to receive or roll over the distribution.... Plan administrators that use the safe-harbor notice should switch to the new model notices as soon as possible." MORE >>
"[S]ponsors of qualified and Section 403(b) plans have until December 31, 2027, to amend their plans for the RMD changes included in the 2025 RAL. The SECURE 2.0 RMD changes that were not included in the 2024 final regulations are expected to be included in a later RAL ... The 2025 RAL also states that the final regulations issued in 2025 regarding SECURE 2.0's Roth catch-up requirement for high earners are expected to be included in the 2027 RAL. If that proves to be the case, plan sponsors will have until December 31, 2029, to amend their plans to include the Roth catch-up provisions." MORE >>
"The EBSA's position falsely suggests that fiduciary prudence is an either-or proposition, while fiduciary prudence under ERISA actually requires consideration of both procedural and substantive prudence.This analysis argues that an exclusive focus on proceduralism is inconsistent with ERISA's legislative history, ignores the dual nature of fiduciary prudence, and creates a regulatory environment that favors the insurance industry over plan participants and at the expense of both plan participants and their beneficiaries." MORE >>
"[T]he court held that the plaintiff had Article III standing to seek plan reformation under Section 502(a)(2). The court emphasized that the plaintiff plausibly alleged a concrete injury -- reduced monthly benefits -- and that reformation of the plan's actuarial assumptions could redress that injury.... The court reaffirmed that Section 502(a)(2) claims are inherently representative and must be brought on behalf of the plan. Enforcing an individual-only arbitration clause would therefore operate as a prospective waiver of a statutory remedy[.]" [Duke v. Luxottica U.S. Holdings Corp., No. 24-3207 (2d Cir. Feb. 5, 2026)] MORE >>
"In this article [the authors] explain why postmarks matter to retirement plans, clarifications in the final rule, and what plan administrative changes may be needed to ensure mail is timely postmarked, and [they] list the operational items plan sponsors and their advisors may need to review and potentially adjust going forward." MORE >>
"Perhaps the biggest open question: Will Trump Accounts be subject to ERISA? ... [Until] guidance arrives, employers face uncertainty about fiduciary obligations, reporting requirements, and administrative burdens.... Early adopters like the major financial institutions have the resources and expertise to navigate ambiguity. For most employers, waiting for final regulations and ERISA guidance before committing may be the prudent path." MORE >>
"Here is an example showing the results of comparing seven plans for a small business. The owner was willing to spend on staff an amount equal to 5.0% of their total combined payroll.... The results show the differences that can be obtained from various plan designs." MORE >>
"This summary focuses on the responsibilities and role of ERISA fiduciaries in managing plan investments.... [1] Evaluate and update the investment structure ... [2] Draft and periodically review the Investment Policy Statement (IPS) ... [3] 404(c) and QDIA oversight ... [4] Review and monitor investment manager performance ... [5] Monitor and benchmark plan fees ... [6] Managed accounts evaluation and monitoring ... [7] Oversee required employee communications ... [8] Review overall plan utilization ... [9] Review defined contribution trends and overall plan effectiveness." MORE >>
"HR 7362, the Form 5500 Filing Simplification Act ... would extend the deadline for filing the form by almost three months.... This effectively would mean that the deadline for calendar-year plans to file the Form 5500 would be Oct. 15, not the current July 31." MORE >>
"Social Security constitutes half of income for the typical older adult. Income from retirement plans ... represents about a fifth of income on average.... The typical employee contribution rate to a defined contribution savings plan is between five and six percent and the typical employer contribution rate is just under three percent.... Retirement savings represent about a quarter of financial assets on average for the typical working adult, while home equity represents about a third." MORE >>
"Delphi Technologies ... was spun off from General Motors (GM) in 1999. In May 2009, Delphi's pension plans were terminated, and responsibility for the payment of plan participants' benefits was turned over to the [PBGC]... Some participants in Delphi pension plans whose benefits were reduced by PBGC claimed that their pension plans were wrongly terminated and have sought relief via both judicial and legislative processes." [IF12171 updated Feb. 5, 2026] MORE >>
"Nearly 70% of remote and hybrid workers say their work-life balance has improved over the past year, with a similar share reporting lower work-related stress compared with office-based work. Job confidence remains strong as well: 75% of workers feel secure in their roles, and close to 80% report high job satisfaction." MORE >>
"The question now before the Court is whether plaintiffs alleging imprudence based on underperformance must plead a 'meaningful benchmark' at the motion-to-dismiss stage and, if so, how closely the comparator must align with the challenged fund's objectives, risks, and strategy.... Briefing and oral argument will occur this spring and a decision is expected in or before June 2026." [Anderson v. Intel Corp. Inv. Policy Comm., No. 22-16268 (9th Cir. May 22, 2025; cert. pet. granted Jan 16, 2026, No. 25-498)] MORE >>
"The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals awarded a deceased retirement plan participant's assets to his ex-wife, ruling that [the participant's] faxed beneficiary change request did not meet the [retirement] plan's formal requirements for changing beneficiaries.... Although the appellate court's three-judge panel agreed that his actions clearly showed intent, it ruled that his action was not similar enough to processes set forth in the plan documents to qualify." [Packaging Corp. of Am. Thrift Plan for Hourly Emps. v. Langdon, No. 25-1859 (7th Cir. Feb. 2, 2026)] MORE >>
