"Complete this part only if one or more of the following apply. [1] You made nondeductible contributions to a traditional IRA for 2024. [2] You took distributions from a traditional, traditional SEP, or traditional SIMPLE IRA in 2024 and you made nondeductible contributions to a traditional IRA in 2023 or an earlier year.... [3] You converted part, but not all, of your traditional, traditional SEP, and traditional SIMPLE IRAs to Roth, Roth SEP, or Roth SIMPLE IRAs in 2024 and you made nondeductible contributions to a traditional IRA in 2024 or an earlier year."  MORE >>

"SECURE 2.0 provides that, for disasters declared on or after January 26, 2021, the IRS no longer has to individually declare disaster relief for each disaster, and the plan sponsor does not have to adopt individual amendments. A single amendment for disaster relief can be adopted, and then when the federal government declares a federal disaster area, the relief provisions will automatically apply to participants living in the disaster area."  MORE >>

"[The authors] question a critical assumption underlying all of the forfeiture complaints and all of the court decisions ... observed to date: the assumption that forfeiture accounts hold only nonvested employer contributions and, therefore, the only issue that needs to be considered is whether nonvested employer contributions may be used to fund employer contributions.... [T]his assumption is likely incorrect."  MORE >>

22 pages. "The financial services industry -- along with retirement plan sponsors and plan participants -- can take steps to reduce the likelihood of scam victimization ... Retirement plan providers can harness new technology to authenticate plan participants, secure their accounts, flag suspicious transactions, elevate awareness and advocate for increased protection. Plan sponsors can educate employees to be watchful for red flags that help them detect fraud and encourage their adoption of account security features."  MORE >>

"Vanguard has agreed to pay $40 million to settle a long-running lawsuit over a selloff that investors likened to an 'elephant stampede' from its target-date funds that left retail investors to take a huge capital gains tax hit. The selloff involved multimillion-dollar corporate retirement plans getting out of the standard target funds and into the institutional equivalents." [Verduce v. Vanguard Chester Funds, No. 22-0955 (E.D. Penn. settlement agreement filed Nov. 6, 2024)]  MORE >>

"[To] improve retirement outcomes, we need to take both a bottom-up and top-down approach. We also need to learn how to use the neuro and behavioral sciences, such as behavioral governance, to inspire and engage the plan sponsor.... Traditional fiduciary training for plan sponsors often falls flat.... The training industry is experiencing its own Blockbuster Video versus Netflix moment.... The future of professional development is BOTs -- AI Generative closed chatbots."  MORE >>

"The new administration's priorities and positions on certain benefits-related issues are expected to take a dramatic shift from those of the Biden administration.... [1] Fiduciary rule ... [2] Environmental, social, and governance rule ... [3] Section 1557 rule ... [4] Transgender affirming care for minors."  MORE >>

"An executive security program allows key employees to focus on the business and protects shareholder value from stock price fluctuations associated with a security incident.... [E]mployers establishing an executive security program should be familiar with the tax consequences of these benefits for both the employer and the executive and public company employers should be aware of the related rules for disclosure of executive perquisites in their proxy statements."  MORE >>

"ISS changed which factors it will consider when voting on director nominees where the board has adopted an initial short-term pill (with a term of one year or less) without shareholder approval.... ISS will now generally support requests to extend a Special Purpose Acquisition Company's termination date up to one year from its original termination date ... Beginning with the 2025 proxy season, ISS will place greater focus on performance-vesting equity disclosure and design aspects[.]"  MORE >>