Apr. 15, 2025. "What's New: New code Y for box 7.... Reminders: Automatic rollover amount.... Information Reporting Intake System (IRIS).... Online fillable forms." [Also available: 2025 IRS Form 5498 and 2025 IRS Form 1099-R]  MORE >>

"The major changes, as discussed in a Q&A format in [FAB 2025-02], relate to the methodology for measuring the value of assets, value of liabilities, and funding level, and predominantly affect single-employer defined benefit pension plans."  MORE >>

"[The Fifth Circuit] granted the [DOL's] request for another 60 days to consider its next steps in two court cases challenging the department's 2024 Retirement Security Rule ... extend[ing] the existing abeyance ... to June 16, 2025.... The rule was scheduled to take effect on September 23, 2024, but hit legal roadblocks in the form of complaints filed by industry firms and member organizations." [FACC. v. DOL, No. 24-0163 (E.D. Tex. Jul. 25, 2024) consol. on appeal to 5th Cir with No. 24-10890, ACLI v. DOL, No. 24-0482 (N.D. Tex. Jul. 26, 2024)]  MORE >>

"Although the Alcoa and Lockheed cases involve similar facts and allegations, the courts reached opposite conclusions.... Plan sponsors and fiduciaries should continue to carefully consider the guidance in the Department's Interpretive Bulletin 95-1 when choosing a PRT annuity provider." [Konya v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 24-0750 (D. Md. Mar. 28, 2025); Camire v. Alcoa U.S.A. Corp., No. 24-1062 (D.D.C. Mar. 28, 2025)]  MORE >>

"[T]he Judge determined ... [1] Where future payments include an interest component (either explicit or implicit), that component is disallowed as unmatured interest, but no further discounting is appropriate; [2] The proper discount rate to use to calculate the present value of a pension withdrawal claim is the pension plan's assumed rate of return on assets; and [3] The limitation on withdrawal liability applicable to an insolvent employer (ERISA Section 4225(b)) undergoing liquidation or dissolution is applied after the application of the 20-year cap." [​In re Yellow Corp., No. 23-11069 (Bankr. D. Del. Apr. 7, 2025)]  MORE >>

"[This] annual benchmarking report on 401(k) plan design and participant behavior ... found the average loan size grew by 4%, slightly higher than inflation in 2024.... Loan usage also saw an uptick, increasing by two points since 2023, but remains below the 2015 to 2019 highs.... Participants invested solely in a target date product are 20 times less likely to make an exchange and even when they do, 84% of them exchange into another target date fund.... Fifty-five percent of retirement age participants leave the plan within four years of termination and another roughly 20% leave in the following five years."  MORE >>

"[E]mployers should not become complacent and assume that they have contracted out all responsibility for the administration of their ERISA plans. There are ways of mitigating some of the liability (contractually, insurance) but ultimate responsibility and liability remain with the ERISA plan administrator."  MORE >>

17 pages. "As key stakeholders in retirement plan oversight, financial advisors often serve as the first line of defense, guiding clients through administrative challenges, mitigating compliance risks, and ensuring adherence to fiduciary best practices. By proactively addressing these complexities with the help of a 3(16) fiduciary, advisors play a critical role in safeguarding plan integrity and optimizing outcomes for both sponsors and participants."  MORE >>

"This Fast Fact examines how investment options within public-sector defined contribution plans are utilized ... The analysis identifies participants who invested in only one investment type compared with those who invested in multiple investment types, categorized by age and plan type. The analysis also provides a breakdown of the investment types used by single- and multiple-investment-type investors. "  MORE >>

"Short-term market volatility can raise concerns among public pension plan stakeholders and observers. Although headlines may focus on daily or weekly fluctuations, short-term declines should be viewed in the context of public pension funds' long-term, disciplined approach to investing."  MORE >>

"[T]his paper will briefly explore Social Security's history, how Social Security payroll taxes subsidize other government expenditures, and how attempts are being made to roll back Social Security retirement benefit eligibility while other publicly funded retirement programs covering government employees have far more generous retirement eligibility provisions. The paper will conclude with recommendations to avoid program insolvency while preserving the FRA."  MORE >>

"This may be the beginning of the long-awaited U.S. stock market crash, but even if it isn't those near retirement need to protect themselves from sequence-of-return risk that can ruin the rest of their lives. Only a few TDFs provide this protection, but they all should.... There's precedent for safety near retirement that was set at the June 2009 joint hearings of the SEC and DOL. But that was 16 years ago, so that is mostly forgotten -- until now. It's time to fix TDFs."  MORE >>

"Assuming both the plan documents and exchange permit the grant of discounted options, any discounted option would need to be structured to either comply with Section 409A or meet a Section 409A exception summarized [in this article]."  MORE >>