JD

A little more than a week ago, the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled its much-anticipated final ESG rule.  There’s a lot to unpack in that regulation (and the rest of the 236-pages that help explain its process and rationale), but here’s a few things that seem particularly important to note at the... READ MORE

ESG is a broad, sweeping construct, and in its most comprehensive form touches on a wide variety of elements essential to corporate governance, sustainability, and returns. But there are skeptics, if not to the efficacy of the focus, to its impact on portfolios. While individuals come to this... READ MORE

A federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing an excessive fee suit against a $4 billion 401(k) plan. While the recommendation still requires the signoff of a district judge,[1] U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen C. Dries basically recommended granting Nestle’s — the $4 billion plan in question —... READ MORE

ESG is often thought of in the same framing as socially responsible investing, or SRI. While there are some potential overlaps in focus, ESG is different—and arguably very different.  Environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused investing has proven to be one of the more controversial — and... READ MORE

Litigator Jerry Schlichter has been sued…for a breach of fiduciary duty. According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Schlichter (and his firm) has been sued by partner Roger Denton—the third name in St. Louis law firm Schlichter, Bogard and Denton—alleging he’s been cheated out of at... READ MORE

While it’s the celebration following a successful harvest held by the Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe in 1621 that provides most of the imagery around the holiday, Thanksgiving didn’t become a national observance until much later. Incredibly, it wasn’t marked as a national observance... READ MORE

The academics are at it again. In a paper provocatively titled “The Life-Cycle Model Implies that Most Young People Should Not Save for Retirement” no fewer than four of them take 48 pages to make that case. The “trade press” breathlessly intoned “Most Young People Should Not Save For Retirement... READ MORE

I’ve spent my entire working career working with retirement plans — but most of it not focused on a retirement plan of my own. In that sense, I am perhaps like many, maybe most of you. Oh, I thought about retirement (a lot, just not mine), maxed out my 401(k) (when I wasn’t co-funding college... READ MORE

A recordkeeper that has sued the Labor Department based on its comments regarding cryptocurrency in defined contribution plans has told a federal judge it’s fine with dismissing its suit—if the court will hold the agency to its previous statements. Basically, the ForUsAll plaintiffs—a 401(k)... READ MORE