Monthly Archives: October 2025

Retirement Assets Hit Record Highs — But Don’t Get Complacent

Posted on October 20, 2025 by admin

The Investment Company Institute reports that U.S. retirement assets bounced back in Q2 2025, setting record highs. That’s good news — but it’s also a reminder to stay sharp. What’s driving the climb? · Market appreciation lifted balances. · Steady … Continue reading →

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Quick Guide for Plan Sponsors: My Take on DOL Cybersecurity Audits

Posted on October 8, 2025 by admin

If you want to stay out of DOL trouble, here’s what I’d tell you over a drink,no legalese, just practical advice. 1. Cybersecurity is a fiduciary issue. The DOL is digging deep into cybersecurity practices, going well past HIPAA compliance. … Continue reading →

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Roth Catch-Up Finalized: SECURE 2.0’s High-Income Mandate Delayed Until 2027

Posted on October 8, 2025 by admin

When it comes to retirement plan regulations, the only constant is change—and the Roth catch-up requirement under SECURE 2.0 has been a rollercoaster. The IRS and Treasury finally issued their final regulations, and plan sponsors can breathe, somewhat, knowing that … Continue reading →

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Crypto in the Plan: A Cautionary Memo from Ary Rosenbaum to Plan Sponsors

Posted on October 8, 2025 by admin

If you’re a plan sponsor, here’s what I’d tell you about the growing conversation around cryptocurrency in retirement plans. 1. Risks Are Real — and Fiduciary Responsibility Wins Cryptocurrency might seem sexy or edgy, but from a fiduciary standpoint, it’s … Continue reading →

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Advisors: What the 2025 T. Rowe Price DC Consultant Study Means for Your Practice

Posted on October 8, 2025 by admin

Let’s cut through the marketing fluff and look at what the 2025 T. Rowe Price Defined Contribution Consultant Study is really telling us, and more importantly, what it means for financial advisors who want to stay relevant, valuable, and indispensable. … Continue reading →

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Advisors: If You Want to Be Loved by Plan Sponsors, Focus on Participant Outcomes

Posted on October 8, 2025 by admin

Plan sponsors aren’t hiring advisors so they can get fancy PowerPoints or attendance at cocktail events, increasingly, they’re paying for outcomes. NAPA’s latest slice-and-dice of Fidelity’s Plan Sponsor Attitudes Study shows a clear message: for the fourth year in a … Continue reading →

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To steal a joke from Chris Rock, when I worked at a TPA as the lead ERISA attorney, I used to joke that if you wanted to hide something from one of our plan administrators, just put it in the plan document file. Nobody ever cracked one open. Why? Because someone had already plugged the plan specs into Relius, and that’s all anyone looked at. The problem, of course, was that the woman running the show back then was a complete buffoon. Things were constantly wrong — specs didn’t line up, operational errors piled up, and everyone assumed Relius was the gospel truth. Meanwhile, the plan document — the actual governing instrument under ERISA — sat ignored, like an unread instruction manual stuffed in a drawer. Here’s the point: plan specs are only as good as the plan document they’re based on. If they don’t match, you’re courting disaster. I’ve seen plan sponsors dragged into compliance nightmares, IRS corrections, and even litigation simply because the specs in the recordkeeping system didn’t mirror what was written in black and white. So, whether you’re a TPA, advisor, or plan sponsor, don’t treat the plan document like some dusty artifact. Specs, procedures, Relius entries, prototypes — all of it needs to reflect what’s actually in the governing document. Otherwise, you’re just building mistakes into the system and waiting for the IRS or DOL to find them. Trust me, when they do, you won’t be laughing at the Chris Rock joke anymore.

Posted on October 3, 2025 by admin

To steal a joke from Chris Rock, when I worked at a TPA as the lead ERISA attorney, I used to joke that if you wanted to hide something from one of our plan administrators, just put it in the … Continue reading →

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If You Want to Hide Something, Put It in the Plan Document

Posted on October 3, 2025 by admin

To steal a joke from Chris Rock, when I worked at a TPA as the lead ERISA attorney, I used to joke that if you wanted to hide something from one of our plan administrators, just put it in the … Continue reading →

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The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media

Posted on October 3, 2025 by admin

The beauty of social media is that everyone has an opinion. The negative part of social media is that everyone has an opinion. Once upon a time, disagreements lived at the dinner table, in union halls, or on the floor … Continue reading →

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The DOL’s Spring 2025 Regulatory Agenda: What Plan Providers Need to Know

Posted on October 3, 2025 by admin

The Department of Labor (DOL) has released its Spring 2025 regulatory agenda, and for those of us in the retirement plan industry, it reads like a greatest hits playlist — ESG, fiduciary rule, auto-portability, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), electronic disclosure, … Continue reading →

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