Category Archives: Retirement Plans

I’ve been doing this long enough to know that the biggest threat to a 401(k) plan isn’t the Department of Labor, trial lawyers, or even bad investments. It’s a spreadsheet that someone created in 2017 and has been copying ever … Continue reading →

Plan providers are therapists who also happen to do census testing. Nobody puts that in a job description, but it’s the truth. When people think about our work, they imagine compliance calendars, investment menus, and spreadsheets with more tabs than … Continue reading →

The Long, Quiet Goodbye Most plan providers don’t wake up one morning and get fired. It’s not a dramatic breakup with yelling, lawyers, and a new recordkeeper waiting in the lobby. It’s quieter than that. Clients leave the way a … Continue reading →

For many plan sponsors, the story is the same. The plan was set up years ago. Employees participated. Contributions flowed. Nobody complained. From the sponsor’s perspective, the 401(k) worked exactly as intended. And for a long time, that was true. … Continue reading →

When a plan sponsor hears the words “late deposit,” they react like they’ve been accused of shoplifting. Faces turn red, voices get defensive, and someone inevitably says, “We would never steal from employees.” The truth is less dramatic and more … Continue reading →

If you’ve been watching the headlines, you’ve probably heard about the new Trump Accounts—a savings vehicle created by federal law that lets kids start building tax-advantaged investment accounts early in life and gives eligible children a federal seed contribution. Employers … Continue reading →

If you thought your rollover notice obligations were settled a few years ago, think again. The IRS has released two new model rollover notices—one for Roth distributions and one for non-Roth distributions—and they are effective immediately. That means every plan … Continue reading →

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of the Treasury issued Notice 2026-13 on January 15, 2026 — a key update for retirement plan sponsors and administrators responsible for communicating rollover distribution options to participants. This guidance revises the safe … Continue reading →

Big headlines in retirement plan litigation don’t just hit household names; they’re a reminder that fiduciary duty doesn’t come with automatic immunity for size or reputation. Last week, a $70 million ERISA class action lawsuit was filed against the Bloomberg … Continue reading →

Every plan provider says the same thing: “We work with everyone.” That sounds inclusive, but it’s terrible marketing and even worse strategy. The most successful TPAs and advisors I know don’t chase everyone—they own niches. Doctors, law firms, unions, family … Continue reading →