Ted Godbout

The American Retirement Association, along with 30 other organizations, wrote to New York State leaders, criticizing a proposal to tax stock transfers as a misguided attempt to address the state’s budget deficit.  “While some see this as a tax on the securities industry itself, it is actually a... READ MORE

A fierce and powerful Democrat will be joining one of the Senate’s most powerful committees.   On Feb. 2, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who is the new, incoming chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, announced that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) will join the Committee in the 117th Congress.  “I’m... READ MORE

Based on conversations with thousands of employers, surveys and internal data, Fidelity has shared what it views as some of the top employee benefit trends for 2021.  Fidelity found that employers are increasingly viewing benefits in terms of diversity and inclusion and how benefits will serve all... READ MORE

On Jan. 25, the Senate confirmed one of President Biden’s top economic advisors, and a key Republican senator who has been a champion of retirement policy announced his intent to retire.    Janet Yellen was approved by the Senate in an 84-15 vote, becoming the first woman to lead the department in... READ MORE

As expected—and as has routinely been done in recent memory along with a change in administrations—the incoming Biden administration moved to immediately pause all pending and recently issued regulatory projects, including new retirement guidance by the Labor Department.  In a Jan. 20 memo, White... READ MORE

The chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee has released a new legislative framework for the 117th Congress that includes an ambitious retirement policy agenda.  In what has long been a priority for him, committee chairman Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) is calling for implementation of auto-... READ MORE

The election of the two Georgia Senate Democratic candidates—and the resulting shift in control of the U.S. Senate—could have profound implications for President-elect Joe Biden’s policy agenda—including retirement plans. The election of Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff brings the party... READ MORE

It’s hard to find among the nearly 5,600 pages of text, but there is some important retirement plan relief in the $900 billion COVID stimulus package. Perhaps the most significant element is a “temporary rule preventing partial plan termination.” The provision, for which the American Retirement... READ MORE

The Department of Labor’s proposed new fiduciary rule has moved one step closer to being finalized and could be released any day now.  The DOL sent the final version on its proposed advice package, “Improving Investment Advice for Workers & Retirees,” to the White House’s Office of Management... READ MORE