News Archive

"Just as annual limit increases prompt plan checkups and fresh strategy conversations, SECURE 2.0's mid-year SIMPLE IRA 'off-ramp' gives advisors a timely way to help growing employers pivot into a more robust retirement plan without waiting for the next calendar year. Thanks to SECURE 2.0, employers can now replace a SIMPLE IRA mid-year with a safe harbor 401(k)."  MORE >>

"Covered employers must either certify they already offer a qualified retirement plan or facilitate payroll deductions into a state-administered Roth IRA. All private employers that have been in business for at least two years, with 10 or more employees, that do not already offer a qualified retirement plan will be required to act.... [D]epending on the size of a business, deadlines range from March 18 to July 15, 2026."  MORE >>

"Unlike the Federal FMLA, the CT FMLA does not require employers to maintain an employee's group health benefits during the period an employee is on CT FMLA leave to the same extent as if the employee was still working. However, there may be other applicable laws, contractual provisions, or policies that do require such coverage when an employee is out on CT FMLA leave, even if no other leave is being run concurrently."  MORE >>

"A new opinion letter from the [DOL] explains that employees may use leave under the [FMLA] not only to attend qualifying medical appointments, but also for the time spent traveling to and from those appointments. Notably, employers may not require a health care provider to estimate travel time as part of an FMLA medical certification."  MORE >>

"Long-term, Part-time employees became eligible for the first time in 2024 for for-profit corporations and in 2025 for nonprofit corporations.... [A]uditors will request backup for LTPT employee identification, eligibility, and their effective opportunity to defer during next year's audits. This blog will explain the rules and the best practices for employers challenged by the proper administration of LTPT employee eligibility."  MORE >>

"[T]he program will send a series of emails or letters to eligible employers when it is time to register. These communications will include an Access Code, registration deadline, and instructions.... [It is] unclear whether exempt employers should take the affirmative step of certifying their exemption, and whether that is even possible if the company has not received an Access Code."  MORE >>

"On January 12, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition for writ of certiorari in Guardian Flight, leaving in place the Fifth Circuit's June 2025 decision ... As a result, within the Fifth Circuit, providers cannot rely on the No Surprises Act (NSA) itself to enforce Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) awards in court and face a heightened standing bar for ERISA-based claims where patients are insulated from financial harm. And the persuasive effect of the Fifth Circuit's holding is bolstered nationwide." [Guardian Flight, L.L.C. and Med-Trans Corp. v. Health Care Serv. Corp., No. 24-10561 (5th Cir. June 12, 2025; cert. pet. denied Jan. 12, 2026, No. 25-441)]  MORE >>

"Federal regulations implemented over the last four years require a greater degree of price transparency from hospitals, insurers and health plans. Providing participants with easy-to-use shopping tools and incentives to use them are among the strategies that may help plan sponsors leverage transparency to lower health plan costs."  MORE >>

"The number of individuals making QCDs might be affected by recent tax law changes. The FY2025 budget reconciliation act (PL 119-21) expanded and made permanent the standard deduction included in the 2017 tax law (PL 115-97). A higher standard deduction might reduce the tax incentive for individuals to make charitable donations." [IF11377, updated Jan. 15, 2026]  MORE >>

"SECURE 2.0 continues to dominate the landscape.... Continued monitoring of class action litigation developments against fiduciaries, and engaging in (and documenting) a strong fiduciary process.... Attention to Form 5500 filing requirements, and participation in 'DFVC' as warranted.... Consideration of developing products and features relative to offering lifetime income and alternative investments.... Monitoring of plan activities to identify and correct qualification failures."  MORE >>

"[The PBM Fiduciary Accountability, Integrity, and Reform (FAIR) Act (S 3549)] would amend ERISA to treat [PBMs] as fiduciaries when providing services to employer-sponsored group health plans. If enacted, the legislation would impose fiduciary duties, require detailed compensation disclosures, and restrict contractual indemnification provisions that shift fiduciary risk to plans. Employers may gain increased transparency into PBM compensation structures, but should expect potential changes to PBM contracting practices and service models."  MORE >>

"Any employer-sponsored benefit that allows participants to access DTC programs will be considered employer-provided medical care. In general, there are two primary paths to accessing DTC programs -- through integration with an EAP, telemedicine program, wellness benefit, or general purpose health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) or without integration with excepted benefit HRAs or EHBRAs."  MORE >>

"The IRS Advisory Council (IRSAC) recommended that the IRS prioritize implementing the Saver's Match by reducing the administrative burden on sponsors and improving participant education.... The IRSAC argued that implementation must avoid unnecessary burdens for sponsors (the feature is optional for plans) and assist participants in understanding the program."  MORE >>

"Premium volumes in 2025 declined materially compared to the last two years ... Annuity purchase interest rates have demonstrated notable stability, continuing trends observed throughout 2025. At the start of 2026, the average duration 7 was approximately 4.68%, while the duration 15 rate was approximately 4.87%."  MORE >>

"Trump's proposal would send the value of the now-lapsed ACA enhanced subsidies directly to consumers rather than route the tax credits through their insurer to bring down premiums.... [T]he plan aims to 'hold big insurance companies accountable' by requiring that they post rate and coverage comparisons online in plain English, making it easier for consumers to shop for coverage. It would also require that health plans publish what percentage of their revenue is paid out to claims compared to overhead costs and profits."  MORE >>

"The [ERISA Litigation Reform Act (HR 6084)] would impose a stay on discovery once a defendant files a motion to dismiss under Rule 12 in any action against a plan or its fiduciaries under Section 502. The stay would be automatic unless the court finds that particularized discovery is necessary to preserve evidence or prevent undue prejudice. The bill would also impose document preservation obligations during the pendency of the stay."  MORE >>

"This final rule ... prescribe[s] the spreads component of the interest assumption under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates of January 31, 2026 - April 29, 2026. These interest assumptions are used for valuing benefits under terminating single-employer plans and for other purposes."  MORE >>

46 pages; Nov 6, 2025; pub. Jan. 16, 2026. "Reminders: [1] Distributions to victims of domestic abuse.... [2] Distributions for emergency personal expenses.... [3] Transfers and rollovers of assets and the substantially equal payment method.... [4] The direct payment requirement for certain distributions for payment of health or long-term care insurance repealed."  MORE >>

"Subcommittee on Health hearing to have productive discussions with health insurance companies on the core drivers working against health care affordability -- namely onerous government interference, administrative burdens, waste, fraud, and abuse, and lack of competition and patient choice. DATE: Thursday, January 22, 2026"  MORE >>

"After a near record low of 46.3% in 2023, the percentage of employers offering health benefits increased slightly to 49%. Declines have been concentrated among small employers, while large employer sponsorship has remained stable.... [W]orker eligibility for health benefits has stayed mostly constant since 1996, ranging from 75-81%.... The percentage of the non-elderly population with employment-based health benefits was at or near 70% from 1970 to 1989."  MORE >>

"The employer argues that to calculate liability 'as of' the withdrawal date requires use of the interest rate and other actuarial assumptions in place on that date, not some after-adopted assumptions.... For its part, the fund emphasizes the statute's command that the actuary always make calculations that reflect its best estimate of the financial position of the plan.... The amount of withdrawal liability for a particular date is to a large degree unknowable until an actuary sits down and calculates it using the assets and obligations that the plan had on the relevant date." [M&K Employee Solutions, LLC v. Trustees of the IAM National Pension Fund, No. 22-7157 (D.C. Cir Feb. 9, 2024; cert. pet. granted Jun. 30, 2025 No. 23-1209; oral arg. sched. Jan. 20, 2026)]  MORE >>

"[K]nowledge without application of that knowledge fades quickly -- and that would seem to suggest that our industry needs to quit holding out as a panacea the notion that financial education programs in school will 'solve' the 401(k) education problem. That doesn't mean we should abandon those workplace efforts, certainly not in core areas like budgeting, debt management and saving. At a minimum, it might well dust off the cobwebs of their earlier education, if they were lucky enough to receive it."  MORE >>

"If the president and Congress follow through on the promise to shift more prescription drugs to pharmacies' over-the-counter sections, they will make medicines cheaper and more accessible -- but, more importantly, they will return a measure of control over health care to patients themselves, where it belongs."  MORE >>

"Hospital markets are increasingly dominated by a few large systems ... Consolidation increases hospital systems' market power, allowing them to demand higher prices from health plans and employers that in turn contribute directly to higher premiums.... The prices providers charge for identical services and treatments vary wildly depending on location, ownership or provider market power.... More than 24 cents of every premium dollar goes toward prescription drug costs -- more than any other individual category."  MORE >>

62 pages; Jan. 15, 2026. "What's New for 2025: [1] IRA contribution limit for 2025.... [2] Trump account and new Form 4547.... [3] Modified AGI limit for traditional IRA contributions.... [4] Modified AGI limit for Roth IRA contributions.... What's New for 2026: [1] IRA contribution limit increased for 2026.... [2] Modified AGI limit for traditional IRA contributions increased.... [3] Modified AGI limit for Roth IRA contributions increased. "  MORE >>