Brian Graff
By Brian Graff 11/1/2023
It will ensure that advice given to plan sponsors with respect to plan investments under any and all circumstances is required to comply with the fiduciary standards of ERISA.
The mission of the American Retirement Association—since it was founded in 1966—is to expand and strengthen the employer-...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 12/10/2021
It’s beginning to look like further action on the Build Back Better budget bill will be pushed back to 2022—which would probably delay the effective dates of two controversial retirement plan provisions.
Capping a months-long process of negotiations among Democrats, the House approved an amended...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 3/2/2020
By all accounts last week was pretty bad for the market. All of the major indices fell by more than 10%, and the business news outlets all highlighted that it was the markets’ worst weekly decline since October 2008.
Comparisons to the financial crisis that began in October 2007 are as...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 12/27/2019
Surveys of small business owners have consistently shown cost to be a significant impediment to the adoption of a retirement plan for employees. Well, the recently enacted SECURE Act has a provision that could really make a difference.
Congress has previously tried to address this concern by...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 7/30/2019
Another presidential candidate has proposed to pay for a campaign promise with a tax on retirement savings.
U.S. senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced yesterday that she would propose a financial transactions tax to pay for her “Medicare-for-all” proposal –...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 7/17/2019
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has challenged a specific “pay for” provision in the SECURE Act. But they’re missing the big(ger) picture.
One of the main reasons the SECURE Act passed the House of Representatives by the large margin of 417-3 was that, as the WSJ acknowledges, it was “...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 12/20/2018
The mid-terms are over and the Democrats are taking back control of the House for the first time since 2010, while the GOP slightly expanded its hold on the Senate majority. Believe it or not, while the talk outside the Beltway has largely focused on the prospects for even more gridlock, the...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 3/30/2017
The November election was a shock to many people. Few anticipated the outcome, which created a political environment that is the most conducive to a comprehensive reform of the tax code since it last happened 30 years ago. Given this reality, a close examination of the Tax Reform Blueprint issued...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 1/27/2017
A Joker is taking over Gotham City. Known as the New York City Nest Egg Plan, it is an ambitious attempt to close the retirement plan coverage gap for residents of the largest city in the United States. But instead of focusing squarely on the coverage issue — which remains a legitimate concern for...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 12/15/2015
As a follow up to the DOL's recent guidance allowing states to sponsor multiple employer 401(k) plans, Congress this week is expected to pass legislation that could have a meaningful long-term impact on the 401(k) industry.The legislation, included in the tax extenders package, would create Pooled...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 8/26/2015
There were four days of hearings on the Department of Labor’s proposed fiduciary rule and I kept waiting… and watching… and waiting. But it never came up. And that surprised me.You see, I was fully expecting someone to ask these two questions: “What about individuals who actually want to be...
READ MORE
By Brian Graff 3/12/2015
Several months ago, ASPPA members overwhelmingly voted in favor of a new name and structure for the umbrella organization of our four sister associations — the American Retirement Association. As such, the American Retirement Association steps into the role of coordinator, overall industry...
READ MORE
Advertisement