ERISA Archives - Retirement Income Journal

Sen. Warren Speaks Up for ‘Fiduciary Rule,’ Puts Down Annuity Sales Perks

By Editorial Staff Tue, Oct 1, 2024

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) new white paper details the sales incentives that annuity issuers offer insurance agents; the incentives, she says, show that the DOL's long-denied 'fiduciary rule' is...

Published October 2024

Recurring Idea: Give the ‘Tax Expenditure’ to the Poor

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Jul 31, 2024

The Penn Wharton Budget Model, a group that assesses new spending programs, calculates that, if the US Treasury eliminated the tax deduction for contributions to retirement plans, it could...

Published August 2024

Should Participants Get Lifetime Income By ‘Default’?

By Kerry Pechter

The ERISA Advisory Council heard testimony on whether to tweak the rules for Qualified Default Investment Alternatives to accommodate—or exclude—annuities. Advisors to 401(k) plans should read this.

Published August 2024

A ‘Nesting Doll’ of an In-Plan Annuity

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Apr 3, 2024

ARS, State Street Global Advisors, Nationwide, Athene, Transamerica and Global Trust Company have brought to market the State Street GTC Retirement Income Builder, a target date fund with a...

Published April 2024

This Year’s Legal Battles

By Kerry Pechter Mon, Mar 4, 2024

The life/annuity industry faces three big legal issues this year. All stem from, or are complicated by, the patchwork regulation of financial products in the US, our out-of-date pension...

Published March 2024

Of Athene, Pension Risk Transfers, and Fiduciaries

By Kerry Pechter Fri, Jul 28, 2023

The ERISA Advisory Council recently heard comments on changing the criteria that fiduciaries use when vetting annuity providers in pension risk transfer deals. Athene's vice chairman defended his company's...

Published July 2023

Advisers, Beware of PTE 2020-02: Wagner Law

By Wagner Law Group Wed, Oct 13, 2021

ERISA expert Kimberly Elliott of the Wagner Law Group tells wealth managers how to avoid running afoul of the Department of Labor's Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 when counseling plan...

Published October 14, 2021

What’s up with the ‘ESG’ rule: Wagner Law Group

By Wagner Law Group Fri, Jan 22, 2021

'Given that the slimmer Final Rule is no longer the stranglehold on ESG investing that the original proposal had been, the Biden Administration could decide not to expend its...

Published January 22, 2021

DOL Has Discouraging Words for ESG Funds

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Jun 25, 2020

The DOL has never suggested that fiduciaries should pick a fund that subordinates financial performance to activism. But this proposal lacks the nuance or flexibility that the DOL has...

Published June 25, 2020

Project LIMA Aims to Solve the Annuity Puzzle

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Feb 27, 2020

Milliman, the actuarial consulting firm, envisions putting a multi-premium deferred income annuity inside a 401(k) managed account as a way to turn tax-deferred savings into lifetime income. It seeks...

Published February 27, 2020

Two firms position themselves for the ‘open MEP’ market

By Editorial Staff Fri, Oct 19, 2018

TAG Resources, LLC, headquartered in Knoxville, TN, is a pioneer in the area of Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs), including creating and trademarking 'The Open MEP.'

Published October 19, 2018

‘Peeps’ Try to Peck Through a Pension Shell

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Apr 5, 2018

A Pennsylvania maker of colored marshmallow ‘chicks’ wants to be the first company in a ‘closed MEP’ pension plan to stay in the plan but put all new hires...

Published April 5, 2018

‘Excessive fee’ case against Yale to continue

By Editorial Staff

Yale is among more than a dozen universities to be sued over the past 30 months for allegedly failing to reduce the costs of their 401(k) plans and...

Published April 5, 2018

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