Defined Contribution Plans

It’s been… quite a year. An expert panel at an Oct. 26 session of ASPPA All Access discussed what the developments this year have meant for retirement plan professionals, as well as participants.  The panel featured Robert Kaplan, Director of Technical Education for the American Retirement... READ MORE

Two Republican members of the House of Representatives are pushing back on state and local efforts to impose financial transaction taxes that would impact non-residents.   Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the ranking Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Bill Huizenga (... READ MORE

A reader recently commented, “Nevin: You are continually berating those who question various aspects of 401(k) plans as if the current structure is ‘perfect.’ It isn’t.” That comment was inspired by a recent column of mine critical of a proposal rumored to be under contemplation by the Biden... READ MORE

Noting that the settlement agreement is “fair, reasonable, and adequate, and within the range of possible approval,” the parties in an excessive fee suit have come to terms. More specifically, on Oct. 12, 2020, “after extensive litigation, lengthy discovery,[1] and protracted arm’s-length... READ MORE

In a year full of challenges for plans and plan sponsors alike, we’ve seen a spate of litigation against retirement programs like none in recent memory. So what’s a plan fiduciary to do?  At times, it seems that every plan in American with more than $1 billion in assets has fallen short of at... READ MORE

Active management is not new to retirement plans; however, the circumstances and context ala COVID-19 are. A recent blog entry discusses what active management means and entails in an environment affected by the global pandemic.  In “Back to Reality: The Role of Active Management in Defined... READ MORE

There is much to be done about retirement income literacy, says a recent study that found great lack of understanding about successful planning for a financially secure retirement.   In its 2020 Retirement Literacy Survey, says The American College of Financial Services, respondents got an average... READ MORE

The drumbeat to “fix” the 401(k) seems to be starting a little earlier this year—though the cures seem more likely to kill the patient. The latest ran in the Wall Street Journal recently—a column by Spencer Jakab innocuously titled: “Is America’s Favorite Retirement Plan Broken?” Ironically, in... READ MORE

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Rick Unser as a guest on his 401(k) Fridays podcast. Guess what we talked about… It was a wide-ranging discussion—no predictions as to the outcome of the elections, but we had a chance to bring to light some of the topics that we’ve covered over the... READ MORE