Fiduciary Rules and Practices

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series about the guidance the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued on April 14 concerning cybersecurity.  The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) on April 14 issued comprehensive... READ MORE

New DOL guidance on fiduciary investment advice provides important insights on the agency’s perspective on the new rule, particularly as it relates to rollover advice—and a reminder that other changes may well lie ahead. The guidance, released April 13, relates to the department’s “Improving... READ MORE

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) fiduciary rule still generates discussion. That’s staying power—it was first proposed more than a decade ago. A March 31 NTSA webcast took a look at the rule and current developments involving it.  In “How the Fiduciary Rule Affects Advisors and Other Retirement... READ MORE

After nearly six years of litigation, the settlement terms of an ERISA litigation case that has been all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court (and “back”) have come to light. Specifically, plaintiffs Larry W. Jander and Richard Waksman and Defendants Retirement Plans Committee of IBM, Richard Carroll... READ MORE

Another federal court has weighed in on the status of participant data as a plan asset. The issue arose most recently last January in an excessive fee suit brought by the St. Louis-based law firm of Schlichter, Bogard & Denton on behalf of four participant-plaintiffs in Shell Oil Co.'s $10.5... READ MORE

Tech Talk addresses whether collective investment funds are regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and whether they are eligible investment vehicles for 403(b) plans. READ MORE

Plan administrators and sponsors have some work to do in educating plan participants, a recent study indicates. Researchers add awareness of fees to the curriculum.  One-quarter of those surveyed do not know how much they pay in fees, found investment firm Rebalance.  But that’s just the tip of... READ MORE

Mistakes involving eligible compensation are often at the center of compliance problems. A recent blog entry offers suggestions on ways to avoid such errors.  So common are mistakes concerning eligible compensation, reports Cassell Plan Audits, that they saw no other kind of error as often in the... READ MORE

A March 10 announcement by the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration provides a precursor to the direction it plans to take on the recently finalized rules.  Released as an enforcement policy statement under Title I of ERISA, the DOL advised that it will not enforce the... READ MORE