"Who qualifies as an Eligible Designated Beneficiary? ... Who is considered a non-eligible designated beneficiary? ... When are RMDs required from inherited IRAs? ... What about spousal beneficiaries? ... What distribution options do eligible non-spousal beneficiaries have? ... What are the new RMD options for spousal beneficiaries? ... Are Roth inherited IRAs a good idea? ... Must beneficiaries take undistributed year-of-death RMDs?"  MORE >>

"[F]our common claims in university lawsuits that higher education plan sponsors should pay close attention to ... [and] actions that go beyond the basic fiduciary and governance best practices ... [1] The university uses more than one recordkeeper, resulting in excessive recordkeeping fees ... [2] The plan offers too many investment options for participants to choose from ... [3] Investment options charge asset-based fees and use revenue sharing ... [4] Plan pays excessive fees for investments and plan administration services."  MORE >>

"As 2025 portends to be filled with political, legislative and regulatory uncertainty, defined contribution plan executives are focusing on what they can do and should do -- rather than what might happen.... [O]ne top priority is implementing the expanded catch-up contributions for people ages 60 to 63, which takes effect in 2025.... The other top priority for sponsors is coordinating with their record keepers to implement the change in DC catch-up contributions for high earners starting Jan. 1, 2026."  MORE >>

"Americans believe they will need nearly $1.5 million in the bank for a secure retirement ... That's a 15% increase from 2023 -- far outpacing the 3% to 5% inflation rate over last year -- and up 53% from 2020. That number falls far short of the average amount that U.S. adults have saved for retirement -- a meager $88,400 in 2024, compared to $89,300 in 2023.... [O]nly half of Boomers and Gen Xers believe they'll be financially ready for retirement when the time comes."  MORE >>

"Financial professionals often view guaranteed annuities as a sacrifice of potential portfolio growth for income stability in retirement, but a new analysis ... argues that ... annuities in real life act less as a defensive tool for those afraid of running out of money and more as a 'license to spend.' By shifting a portion of non-annuitized wealth into annuitized wealth ... the typical retiree could feel comfortable spending twice as much each year per dollar of accumulated savings."  MORE >>

"A strong majority of retirees -- 78% -- reported to EBRI that they stick to a spending plan in their retirement at least to some extent ... 70% of retirees are spending at or below what they can afford, which is good news. But it's not as good news as the 2020 report that 82% of retirees showed such discipline ... These findings spell opportunity to make adjustments that could make a plan an even more effective tool in establishing long-term financial security for participants and their beneficiaries."  MORE >>

"Flexible in-retirement portfolio spending strategies result in the highest lifetime withdrawals.... Everyone should at least explore delaying filing for Social Security to lift the lifetime guaranteed income.... Annuities do enlarge lifetime income, but they tend to shrink the amount that's left over for bequests, and there are risk factors like inflation and the company you invested in."  MORE >>

"America's 401(k) retirement savings plan is 'not broken' but working well in tandem with Social Security, according to [a recent] Employee Benefit Research Institute panel. They suggested that Social Security provides the most benefit for lower-income earners, while middle- to high-income earners rely more on private retirement systems. But replacement rates are highest when they're combined, they said."  MORE >>

Chart includes annual limits for both Retirement and Health & Welfare Plans, covering years 2023-2025.  MORE >>

"[T]he Eleventh Circuit concluded that because Lubin was not a party to his wife's employment agreement, and because he had his own independent rights conferred on him by another source, i.e. federal law in the form of ERISA and COBRA, the agreement's arbitration clause was unenforceable against him. As a result, his claims will proceed in federal court, even though his co-plaintiff's identical claims ended up in arbitration." [Lubin v. Starbucks Corp., No. 21-11215 (11th Cir. Dec. 16, 2024)]  MORE >>