Author Archives: admin

Recurring 410(b) failures are rarely random. When a plan consistently struggles with coverage testing, it’s not bad luck. It’s structural. Maybe the ownership group is highly compensated and aging while rank-and-file turnover is high. Maybe eligibility rules were designed for … Continue reading →

Too many plan providers approach the retirement plan business like traditional salespeople. They focus on pitching services, promoting features, and explaining why their company is better than the competition. The problem is that plan sponsors aren’t looking for sales presentations. … Continue reading →

Nobody brags about changing the oil in their car. It’s not exciting. It doesn’t generate applause. But skip it long enough, and the engine fails. Fiduciary governance works the same way. Most retirement plan failures don’t happen because of dramatic … Continue reading →

I like bagels as much as the next person. But breakfast meetings do not equal fiduciary protection. Plan sponsors often assume that because their recordkeeper provides education sessions, quarterly reports, and cheerful service reps, someone else is “handling the fiduciary … Continue reading →

Many employers view their 401(k) plan primarily as a tax deduction. The company makes contributions, deducts them on its tax return, and considers the job done. While the tax benefits are important, treating a retirement plan as just another deduction … Continue reading →

One of the biggest misconceptions plan sponsors have is that their 401(k) plan runs itself. Many employers believe that once they hire a recordkeeper and a TPA, the heavy lifting is done and the plan essentially goes on autopilot. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

The Department of Labor has proposed new regulations updating ERISA electronic disclosure rules to implement the SECURE 2.0 requirement that participants receive periodic paper benefit statements. Under the proposal, defined contribution plans would be required to provide at least one … Continue reading →

During the State of the Union address, President Trump floated a proposal to expand retirement coverage to millions of workers who currently have no access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The idea is to create a government-backed retirement account modeled … Continue reading →

The headline sounds reassuring: many employers now offer a penalty-free emergency withdrawal from a 401(k). On its face, allowing participants to access up to $1,000 without the 10% early-distribution penalty feels like a sensible, humane change. And in some cases, … Continue reading →

The recent settlement involving Providence Health & Services is one of those cases that makes plan sponsors uncomfortable for the right reasons. There was no allegation of flashy misconduct, no exotic investments, no dramatic collapse of oversight. Instead, the case … Continue reading →