ERISA

American Retirement Association CEO Brian Graff unveiled plans April 15 to address the expensive and outdated ERISA requirement to disclose information to 401(k) participants in paper form. READ MORE

Scottrade wants to make a federal case out of an administrative proceeding filed by Massachusetts alleging violations of internal policies adopted in anticipation of the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule. READ MORE

Sign up now for the 2018 ASPPA Eastern Regional Conference to take advantage of the extended Early Bird registration rate, which is now available until April 3. READ MORE

The DOL Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans’ latest report centers on one overarching theme: simplifying plan disclosures to participants and beneficiaries. READ MORE

Given recent attention and lack of formal guidance on missing participants, there are increasing calls for the government to formally address how far plan sponsors need to go to find them. READ MORE

A recent blog post argues that it is wise for plan fiduciaries to be aware of the importance of plan documents in meeting their fiduciary duties. READ MORE

In a rare moment of bipartisan cooperation, the Senate Finance Committee leaders — Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) — have reintroduced the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act. READ MORE

An amended claim in an excessive fee litigation treads some new ground – including naming the plan’s investment advisor as a defendant. READ MORE

A recent analysis suggests that the SEC’s take on a fiduciary standard may be inching closer to that of the DOL. READ MORE

The headline of a recent article didn’t pose that as a question. And that should make you think. READ MORE

Work on the Labor Department’s effort to expand, streamline and modernize the Form 5500 Series has been halted until a new head of the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is in place, according to ERISA attorney S. Derrin Watson. READ MORE

The ERISA Industry Committee filed a lawsuit Oct. 12 against the Oregon Retirement Savings Board, saying that a provision of the state’s OregonSaves retirement program for private-sector employees obstructs ERISA. READ MORE

In the course of my day, I talk to (and email with) people, read a lot, and every so often jot down a random thought or insight that gives me pause and makes me think. See what you think. READ MORE

I have for years had in my office a couple of model Studebakers, which I have there because of the role the automaker played in ERISA’s formation. READ MORE

The 6th Circuit has said participants in a university’s plan do not have to exhaust administrative remedies before pursuing ERISA claims. A recent blog entry discusses what this means for plan fiduciaries. READ MORE

What comes to mind when you think of Socrates? Probably not defined benefit plans. And yet, a recent blog entry posits that there is indeed a connection. READ MORE

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in a decision it handed down June 5 that religiously affiliated non-profits’ plans are exempt from ERISA even if they were not originally established by a church. READ MORE

A beneficiary whose “claim had no merit” has been ordered to pick up some of the legal fees incurred defending against the suit — a case that provides an interesting perspective on the costs of defending ERISA litigation. READ MORE

President Trump has signed legislation that overturns the Obama administration’s ERISA safe harbor rule for state-run auto-IRA programs for private sector workers. READ MORE

No sooner had the Senate voted to unwind the safe harbor exempting state-run auto-IRA programs from ERISA, than a pair of Senate Democrats introduced legislation to restore it. READ MORE