"[A chart] shows DOL's maximum penalties relevant to single-employer [DB] and [DC] plans for 2022 and 2021. The increased amounts apply for penalties assessed after Jan. 15, 2022, for violations occurring after Nov. 2, 2015.... PBGC's 2022 maximum penalty under ERISA Section 4071 for single-employer DB plans is $2,400 a day (up from $2,259 in 2021) ... [for] penalties assessed after Jan. 14, 2022."  MORE >>

"The proposed class action lawsuit accuses the defendants of failing to prudently monitor the plan's investments and failing to remove three of the plan's 'poorly performing investment options.'... It says that by the end of 2013, Milliman's plan was the sole investor in the conservative and moderate funds and represented about 97% of assets in the aggressive fund." [Mattson v. Milliman, No. 22-0037 (W.D. Wash. complaint filed Jan. 13, 2022)]  MORE >>

"Recordkeepers are bolstering education, projection modeling tools and tailored advice capabilities to support plan participants and encourage them to remain on track for retirement income planning."  MORE >>

"'Smart' is the recently-launched American branch of a British fintech with expertise in a kind of retirement savings plan that's called a 'master trust' in the UK and a 'pooled employer plan' or PEP in the U.S. [which] aims to reduce the often clunky process of accessing 401(k) savings in retirement to a few thumb strokes on a smartphone or key strokes on a laptop ... Historically, U.S. recordkeepers have performed this critical function reluctantly, inefficiently or not at all."  MORE >>

"Plan Funding Status increased, leaving 2021 as one of the best years for pensions. The average pension plan improved their funding status around 10%. The Pension Risk Transfer market place hit a record year, closing 2021 at over $38 billion. This is a 40% increase since 2020. Interest rates are expected to rise in 2022, which will correspond to lower annuity purchase costs. Plan sponsors should begin preparing for an annuity purchase to exploit favorable pricing."  MORE >>

"The pension fund said Dimensional Fund Advisors' value bias underperforms 'during periods of strong outperformance of growth, which has been the case for much of the last 10-plus years.'... DFA's emerging markets core strategy fund had underperformed its benchmark ... by 6 basis points on an annual basis since 2011. It underperformed the benchmark by 9 basis points over a trailing 7-year period."  MORE >>

"Actual contributions have been significantly less than the tread water cost [(the amount needed to prevent the unfunded actuarial liability from increasing if all assumptions are met)]... however this trend has reversed this year. When the total contributions are above the tread water cost ... the [unfunded actuarial liability (UAL)] is expected to decline[.]"  MORE >>

"While the city's pension debt is nearly $3 billion, most pension systems face similar gaps between their investment assets and long-term projections of what they will owe employees when those employees eventually retire.... And the city's ratio, which just climbed from 70.2 percent to 74.3 percent thanks to the robust stock market, has been in the top quarter of those national pension systems several times in recent years."  MORE >>

"A new paper [entitled The Great American Retirement Fraud] rehashes (and embraces) some old beliefs, blatantly ignores the full impact of workplace savings, disregards the reality that deferrals are temporary -- and kills a lot of trees in the process.... [T]he 401(k) is the only way we have ever gotten working Americans to save for retirement. Those who have access to those programs are doing well. The only problem with the 401(k) is that not enough working Americans have access to one. "  MORE >>

"If you have stock options with the company you are leaving, you should quickly act (or not act) with your eyes wide open. Your company is not obligated and may not remind you about any stake you are entitled to, much less the expiration date of the award."  MORE >>