"Fortunately, since Trump account contributions can't be made before July 4, 2026, the IRS should have enough time to issue guidance....[1] How will Trump accounts be established? ... [2] How will elections be made?  ... [3] Will Roth conversions be allowed starting in the age-18 year? ... [4] Will Trump account funds be subject to required minimum distribution (RMD) rules?  ... [5] Is the employer Trump account contribution limit a lifetime limit or an annual limit? ... [6] Do employer contributions count towards the $5,000 limit? "  MORE >>

"According to the complaint, Wells Fargo was a major customer and financier for UnitedHealth Group.... During the litigation, a 2018 email from [the UnitedHealth CFO] details how he stepped in and overruled the recommendations of an internal investment committee to drop the Wells Fargo fund from the plan. [The CFO] reasoned that the business relationship between UnitedHealth and Wells Fargo justified keeping the funds part of the 401(k) plan." [Snyder v. UnitedHealth Group, No. 21-1049 (D. Minn. settlement approved Jun. 24, 2025)]  MORE >>

"[E]ven in the most recent years, fewer than 6 percent of eligible firms claim the [Section 45E tax] credit. Credit take-up appears to depend heavily on the characteristics of firm owners and their tax preparers ... Firms with CPAs or credentialed tax preparers are more likely to claim the credit than those with uncredentialed preparers. In 2023, having a preparer with prior experience filing the credit for other clients increased the probability of claiming the credit by 11 percentage points."  MORE >>

"Smaller retirement plans, despite having fewer employees, often face similar testing requirements as larger plans, which can add complexity without significant scale advantages.... Small firms, however, do have simpler options like SEP IRAs and SIMPLE 401(k) plans, which are available without setup fees from some providers. Still, interpreting fee structures can be challenging for smaller companies without dedicated advisory support."  MORE >>

"While most Americans want a person to lead the planning process, younger generations increasingly expect that person to be tech-savvy.... 54% of both Gen Z and Millennials prefer to work with a financial advisor who uses AI as a tool -- not to replace human judgment, but to enhance it. Compare that to just 36% of Boomers+ who feel the same."  MORE >>

"To address rising longevity, [the authors] propose gradually increasing Social Security's full retirement age past the current age of 67.... [R]ising longevity has not been distributed equally.... A stylized policy would effectively increase the full retirement age by two years for a middle-earning employee and four years for the highest earners while leaving benefits unchanged for low earners. This policy change could ultimately address roughly half of Social Security's annual deficits."  MORE >>

"Over calendar years 2025 through 2034, the total net increase in OASDI program cost is estimated to be $168.6 billion. In addition, the timing of combined OASI and DI Trust Fund reserve depletion is accelerated from the third quarter of 2034 under the 2025 Trustees Report baseline to the first quarter of 2034 following implementation of the law."  MORE >>

"Pensions gained modest ground again in July due to higher stock markets and higher interest rates. Both model plans ... gained ground last month: traditional Plan A gained 1%, ending the month up almost 4% for the year, while the more conservative Plan B gained a fraction of 1% last month, ending the month up less than 1% through the first seven months of 2025."  MORE >>

"[T]here’s certainly reason for caution; private markets are well-known and widely acknowledged to be less transparent, more expensive, and less liquid than the investments to which retirement plan investors have become accustomed.... Like any investment category, there are likely to be those that live up to the hype — and others that will be misused, abused, and serve as rich fodder for those who have warned of those eventualities."  MORE >>

"[T]he higher cap on the SALT deduction comes with ... a phaseout for those with yearly adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeding $500,000.... [P]lanning ideas to try to hold your AGI below the phaseout zone ... include maximizing contributions to qualified retirement plans ... putting salary or bonuses into any nonqualified deferred compensation plan that's available; and exploring eligibility for other retirement or pension plans that defer income.... [E]valuate whether to avoid triggering more income, such as with Roth IRA conversions, nonqualified stock option exercises, and asset sales."  MORE >>