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Recent Posts
- Another Year, Another Reminder: Fees Still Matter – Especially for Small Plans
- There’s a hard truth in life, and I learned it the long, slow, and silent way: if you don’t speak up for yourself, you’ll be passed over, stepped on, and probably volunteered to clean up after someone else’s kugel spill. As I wrote in Full Circle, back in my teenage years at Young People’s Synagogue at East Midwood Jewish Center, I played the role of the dutiful nice guy. You know, the one who showed up early, stayed late, and never got the title—kind of like the unpaid intern who’s somehow also your carpool ride. Leadership roles were doled out like parts in a high school musical directed by someone’s passive-aggressive older cousin. The person assigning them? A college student named Adam. And every year, Adam gave me the same role: guy who does everything and gets nothing. He made people co-officers who didn’t even show up. He passed me over for president like it was a sacred tradition. And what did I do? Nothing. I sat there quietly, like a mensch with a clipboard, smiling through clenched teeth and rationalizing, “Maybe next year.” Spoiler: next year never came. Fast forward a couple of decades, and the stakes are a little higher now than who leads Shabbat announcements. I’m running my own law firm, negotiating retainers, and trying to deliver ERISA compliance without losing my mind—or my voice. So when a client recently slighted me, again and again—ignoring my reasonable request to revise a retainer agreement—I remembered Adam. And I remembered that feeling. The one where you know you’re being taken for granted, but you stay silent because it’s easier. Only this time, I wasn’t seventeen. This time, I said something. Actually, I said everything. I warned one of the client’s employees, “I’ve got one foot out the door.” A week later, I picked up the other foot and walked. I quit. And it felt… amazing. Liberating. Like finally being promoted to president of a synagogue you no longer care about. Here’s the truth: no one’s coming to rescue you. No one’s handing you the title, the recognition, or the revised contract. If you’re waiting for fairness to find you, it’s probably stuck in traffic behind a bar mitzvah procession. So speak up. For your fees. For your worth. For your teenage self who should have gotten the gavel instead of the handout flyer duty. Because being silent doesn’t make you righteous—it just makes you invisible.
- Speak Up, or Prepare to Be Stepped On (and Possibly Assigned to Kiddush Duty… Again)
- Josh Itzoe Launches Fiduciary U: A New Era in 401(k) Committee Education
- Forfeitures, Fiduciary Failures, and Cigna: Another Lesson in ERISA Risk
Recent Comments
- John O'Reilly on You Might Be Gold, But They May Not See It
- Dale F. Smith on “Experienced” Plan Provider can mean a lot of things
- Steve on Make a sure a plan provider change is for the right reason and not to make someone $$$$$
- Dale F. Smith on Yale Law Professor scares 6K Plan Sponsors and everyone missed the point
- Sherry Gensemer on The High Fee Open MEP becomes a High Fee MEAP
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JDSupra
Categories
Monthly Archives: May 2014
The trepidation about Retirement Plan Committees
I’m asked all the time about retirement plans setting up committees to manage their plan and I’m a little torn on the matter since I’m not had such a great experience with committees in outside plan activities. So I’ll voice … Continue reading
Posted in 401(k) Plans, Retirement Plans
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No Country for Lousy Retirement Plans
In the movie, No Country for Old Men, the hit man Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem) confronts Carson Wells (who was also trying to recover the same money Chigurh was after) in his hotel room. Before killing Welles, Chigurh … Continue reading
Posted in 401(k) Plans, Retirement Plans
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Make sure you get the plan services you were promised
People can promise you the moon, but they may deliver far less. That is why despite the promises made by your plan providers; you should always read their contract to determine whether they are actually delivering you what they promised. … Continue reading
Posted in 401(k) Plans, Retirement Plans
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Advisors Advantage
My newsletter geared towards financial advisors can be found here.
Posted in 401(k) Plans, Retirement Plans
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How a Retirement Plan Financial Advisor Can Survive In The World Today
My latest article on JDSupra.com can be found here.
Posted in 401(k) Plans, Retirement Plans
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Free Online Continuing Legal Education ERISA Courses
Everyone knows that I’m a big producer of free content. So in addition to my articles and newsletters, I have free continuing legal education credits to give you. If you are a retirement plan provider and you know an attorney, … Continue reading
Posted in 401(k) Plans, Retirement Plans
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