Category Archives: Retirement Plans

One of the biggest questions surrounding Trump Accounts has finally been answered. The Department of Labor recently issued Technical Release 2026-02, concluding that Trump Accounts and most employer contribution programs associated with those accounts generally will not be treated as … Continue reading →

When plan sponsors think about retirement plan risk, they often focus on dishonest employees, cybersecurity threats, or regulatory changes. In my experience, the most dangerous employee in a retirement plan is often none of those things. It is the employee … Continue reading →

Many plan sponsors view an annual retirement plan audit as an isolated event. The auditor arrives, requests documents, asks questions, and eventually issues a report. In reality, the success or failure of a retirement plan audit is determined long before … Continue reading →

Every retirement plan committee benefits from knowledgeable people. What it doesn’t need is a room full of people who automatically agree with each other. One of the biggest risks for any committee is groupthink. Everyone nods in agreement, nobody asks … Continue reading →

One of the most common and expensive mistakes in a 401(k) plan isn’t a complicated investment issue or a sophisticated compliance failure. It’s the employee who never enrolled. Sometimes it’s because the employee was never offered the opportunity to participate. … Continue reading →

Most employee complaints involve relatively minor issues. Questions about vacation time, payroll, benefits, or workplace policies are common in every organization. However, when an employee raises a concern about the company’s retirement plan, plan sponsors should pay close attention. Participant … Continue reading →

One of the biggest misconceptions among plan sponsors is that providing required notices and disclosures means employees understand their retirement plan. They don’t. Most employers distribute Summary Plan Descriptions, enrollment materials, fee disclosures, and a variety of other required documents. … Continue reading →

Many plan sponsors spend a great deal of time selecting investments, reviewing fees, and ensuring contributions are deposited timely. Yet one of the most overlooked aspects of retirement plan administration is fiduciary liability insurance. Many employers mistakenly assume that their … Continue reading →

The worst employers I ever worked for were labor lawyers. That may sound strange coming from someone who spent years practicing law, but it’s true. These were attorneys who represented unions and workers, yet many of them treated their own … Continue reading →

Most compliance disasters do not begin with a regulatory investigation. They begin with an email. Perhaps a payroll manager asks why employee deferrals have not been deposited in several weeks. Maybe a participant questions why a contribution appears to be … Continue reading →