Fiduciary Governance

So, how much should the plaintiffs’ attorneys who wrangled a $12 million settlement receive for their time, effort and trouble?   Well, if you’ve been keeping up with such things, you’ll do some quick math and arrive at a figure of $4 million since, after all, these class action suits[1]—... READ MORE

An increasing number of retirement plan participants are victims of cyber breaches. And this, argues a recent blog entry, puts more than participants at risk—it also puts plan sponsors at risk of fiduciary liability.   “Cybersecurity and Retirement Plans: What Plan Sponsors Should Do,” a recent... READ MORE

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) for defined benefit plans have quite different rules than those for defined contribution plans and IRAs.  In the April 29 ASEA webcast “RMDs in the DB World,” ASEA Executive Director Martin Pippins, MSEA and Charles Brown, MSEA, FCA, QPA, QKA, of Economic... READ MORE

There are a variety of factors to consider regarding pension de-risking. Interest rates are one of them, observes a recent blog entry, which offers ideas on the key matters to keep in mind. In “Markets 2020: Settling DB Plan Liabilities,” October Three suggests that interest rates are an important... READ MORE

Communicating with retirement plan participants is always important; and aside from law and regulation requiring it, such communications can serve participants well and help make a retirement plan more effective and meaningful. But doing so during a pandemic poses challenges and can require... READ MORE

ASPPA provides extensive coverage concerning a host of aspects of the pandemic and its consequences for plan sponsors, administrators, service providers and participants. This includes how developments resulting from it have affected plans and participants, and how they can be addressed; discussion... READ MORE

Law and regulation require that certain information is provided to plan participants. But those requirements have not necessarily kept pace with technological and social advances. The Labor Department is now addressing electronic means of disclosure, and an ASPPA webcast discussed some of the... READ MORE

Another excessive fee suit has been filed—with the plaintiffs represented by a familiar name.   This time the target were the fiduciaries of the approximately $700 million Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC Retirement Savings Plan in a suit filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina by... READ MORE

Imagine a business owner who is familiar with the Form 5500 Series, but only just; they are surprised when their TPA says they need to have an independent qualified public accountant (IQPA) audit the plan and its Form 5500.   A recent blog post provides a nuts-and-bolts reminder of the importance... READ MORE