"This notice provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates ... and the 24-month average segment rates ... [as well as] the interest rate on 30-year Treasury securities ... as in effect for plan years beginning before 2008 and the 30-year Treasury weighted average rate[.]"  MORE >>

"The White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completed its review of the Retirement Security Rule, and it is expected to be released by the [DOL] by the end of the month ... The OMB ... removed the rule from its regulatory review dashboard on April 10."  MORE >>

"In a matter of first impression for federal courts, the Northern District of Illinois found that a pension fund cannot use post-2014 contribution rate increases made pursuant to a rehabilitation plan to calculate an employer’s withdrawal liability payment amount. This decision represents a major victory for employers faced with inflated withdrawal liability demands." [Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund v. Event Media, Inc., No. 22-6133 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 29, 2024)]  MORE >>

"Plan participants need to take common sense measures to safeguard their accounts. Plan sponsors now face the dual challenge of providing online access to participants' retirement plans while keeping their information secure. Implementing and maintaining a proactive cybersecurity strategy is key for both parties."  MORE >>

"Before adding an investment strategy or asset class to an investment menu it is important to carefully consider the rationale for doing so. Is the potential addition appropriate based on the retirement plan's Investment Policy Statement and the plan participant population served?"  MORE >>

"[1] [DOL] Interpretive Bulletin 95-1.... [2] Private equity's role in pension risk transfers.... [3] Reinsurance.... [4] Hibernation remains a viable alternative.... [5] IBM reopens pension plan.... [6] Lockheed Martin and AT&T lawsuits."  MORE >>

"Higher yields could prove fleeting.... Inflation and an overallocation to cash.... Higher interest rates and higher tax bills."  MORE >>

"Pension finances enjoyed incremental improvement in March, rounding out another solid quarter. Higher stock markets outpaced higher liabilities, producing improvement in funded status of less than 1% for both model plans ... During the first quarter, Plan A improved 6% while the more conservative Plan B was up close to 2%."  MORE >>

"The combination of caps rates, participation rates, and spreads often results in significantly lower returns than annuity owners were led to believe they would receive when an annuity were recommended as a means of earning 'guaranteed' retirement income.... [A]nnuities simply do not make sense from a fiduciary risk management perspective, especially when there is no legal obligation to offer them with a pension plan."  MORE >>

"[1] SECURE 2.0 optional provisions & additional regulatory guidance.... [2] Prescription drug prices and state PBM legislation.... [3] Welfare plan compensation disclosure and fee litigation.... [4] Cybersecurity.... [5] Gender affirming care considerations.... [6] ACA affordability threshold."  MORE >>

Video of April 11 hearing. Opening statement by Chair Kevin Kiley (R-CA); testimony from [1] Ms. Kristin Sharp, Flex Association; [2] Ms. Gabriella Hoffman, Independent Women"s Forum Center for Economic Opportunity; [3] Dr. Katie Wells, Georgetown University; and [4] Dr. Liya Palagashvili, Mercatus Center at George Mason University.  MORE >>

"The case centers on the wirehouse's various vesting and payout rules. At attorney for the plaintiffs says the bigger goal is to change industry perspectives on 'golden handcuffs.'... A key ruling from November 2023 determined that Morgan Stanley's deferred compensation arrangement should indeed be subject to the anti-forfeiture rules and requirements of [ERISA]. It also determined that the advisor-plaintiffs must arbitrate their 'anti-clawback' claims on an individual basis." [Shafer v. Morgan Stanley, No. 20-11047 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 21, 2023)]   MORE >>