PBGC has determined the premium rates applicable for plan years beginning in 2025. For Single-Employer Plans: per participant rate for flat-rate premium: $106; variable-rate premium rate per $1000 UVBs: $52, per-participant cap: $717. For Multiemployer Plans: per-participant rate for flat-rate premium: $39.  MORE >>

"[S]ome financial industries, and particularly the insurance industry, will argue that a one-time recommendation associated with a rollover is a sales transaction that should not be held to a fiduciary standard. A critical question for the courts is whether the DOL has authority to issue a new fiduciary recommendation that, among other things, says that a rollover recommendation, explicit or implicit, is fiduciary advice. The Supreme Court's decision in the Loper Bright case establishes the standard for the courts to evaluate an agency's authority."  MORE >>

"The primary difference between an ERISA 103(a)(3)(c) and an ERISA non-103(a)(3)(c) audit is that an ERISA 103(a)(3)(c) audit does not require substantive testing of investments such as year-end market values, interest and dividends and realized and unrealized gains/losses on investments.... Other than those audit procedures performed on investments ... ERISA 103(a)(3)(c) audits and ERISA non-103(a)(3)(c) audits include the same procedures."  MORE >>

"There is a broader contextual issue that courts and parties have seemingly just ignored, particularly when discussing what is required to state a 'claim' under ERISA. A prohibited transaction is not a 'claim' under ERISA.... A prohibited transaction is, at best, an allegation of the type of fiduciary breach being alleged.... To plausibly plead a claim, a plaintiff must allege facts to show that the breach caused loss to the plan... The Seventh Circuit gave no consideration to ERISA Section 502(a) or the notion that a prohibited transaction is not a claim." [Cunningham v. Cornell Univ., No. 21-0088 (2d Cir. Nov. 14, 2023; cert. pet. granted Oct. 3, 2024)]  MORE >>

"Mercer projects that every key Internal Revenue Code limit for qualified retirement plans will rise from 2024 to 2025. The 2025 limits will reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the third quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2024. This updated article reflects the final CPI-U value for September. IRS usually announces official limits for the coming year in late October or early November."  MORE >>

"The investigation is in response to a request from Senate Health, Education, Labor and the Workforce Committee from December 2022, as SECURE 2.0 was being finalized and passed. The request asks GAO to look into what data is collected; the non-plan uses of that data; privacy guarantees and notices provided to participants; and relevant state and federal laws. It also asks GAO to look at 'cross-selling,' or the practice of selling participants products outside the plan based on data acquired on them from within the plan."  MORE >>

"Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73.4%) stated they have seen an increase in employees working past age 65 in recent years. While 16 percent of respondents indicated their company encourages this, most (83%) are neutral about employees working longer."  MORE >>

"[For] a 65-year-old with a spending rate of 4% and a self-professed moderate risk tolerance ... [t]he bedrock of their portfolio should be something that approximates a TIPS ladder, a portfolio of Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities that matures in such a fashion that it pays off their liabilities every year.... The key attraction is that they protect you against inflation."  MORE >>

"[This study provides] insights into the savings and retirement planning of 35- to 45-year-olds and the factors that influence their savings and planning. The study consisted of eight focus groups ... Also included in the material is an Appendix of direct participant quotes."  MORE >>

"Employers should make it easy for employees to enroll in retirement plans and increase their savings, and offer in-plan options to provide retirement income for life. Workers should enroll in their employer's plan and ensure they're contributing enough to get their matching contribution, or save through an IRA if they lack a workplace option. Policymakers should help those who lack access to a workplace plan save for retirement and help improve everyone's ability to convert savings into guaranteed lifetime income."  MORE >>

"Drawing upon the expertise of prominent retirement professionals, [this study provide] series of issue briefs written in everyday language. The briefs tackle a variety of retirement decisions with practical considerations and advice.'

• Lump Sum or Monthly Pension: Which to Take?
• Big Question: When Should I Retire?
• When Retirement Comes Too Soon
• Women Take the Wheel: Destination Retirement
• Deciding When to Claim Social Security
• Designing a Monthly Paycheck for Retirement
• Asset Allocation: A Roadmap to Investing
• Securing Medicare and Other Health Insurance for the Retirement Journey
• Financing Long-Term Care Needs
• Finding Trustworthy Financial Advice for Retirement and Avoiding Pitfalls

MORE >>