"Along with other changes associated with the Act, the form instructions direct employers to use Box 12 to report the employee's 'qualified tips' using code 'TP' and 'qualified overtime compensation' using code 'TT.' The draft revised Form W-2 also includes a new Box 14b for employers to report the employee's qualifying occupation ... The IRS publication emphasizes that this is an 'early release draft' and that additional changes may be forthcoming before it is finalized for use."  MORE >>

"In its ongoing efforts to bolster cybersecurity in ERISA-covered plans, the [DOL] has issued multiple layers of guidance, one of which is a set of Online Security Tips.... These tips aren't directed at plan sponsors or fiduciaries, but the DOL, including them in the broader cybersecurity release, implies a clear expectation: you should inform your participants."  MORE >>

"The 6th Circuit held that the fund didn't use its best estimate of the discount rate by using the [PBGC's] rate of 2.27%, despite the fact that the fund estimated the rate of return on investments would be 7.75%.... [T]he fund's actuary acknowledged his method of calculating withdrawal would overestimate withdrawal liability 77% to 95% of the time. The court held that the actuary didn't use his best estimate of the discount rate but stopped short of mandating use of a rate equivalent to the best estimate of rate of return." [Ace-Saginaw Paving Co. v. Operating Eng'rs Loc. 324 Pension Fund, Nos. 24-1288, 24-1305 (6th Cir. Aug. 6, 2025)]  MORE >>

"Under the approved settlement, the AME Church has put $20 million into a settlement fund and Newport provided $40 million, totaling $60 million plus any interest." [In re: AME Church Employee Retirement Fund Litigation, No. 22-3035 (W.D. Tenn. Aug. 14, 2025)]  MORE >>

"According to the filing, Empower leveraged its role as recordkeeper for employer-sponsored retirement plans to harvest confidential participant data and then target individuals, particularly those nearing retirement or with large balances, for sales pitches. The plaintiffs allege sales representatives falsely portrayed Empower's 'managed account' program ... as the only recommended investment option."' [Williams‑Linzey v. Empower Advisory Group, LLC,
No. 25‑14660 (D.N.J. complaint filed Aug. 15, 2025)  MORE >>

"Migrations between 401(k) recordkeepers are inherently complex. While much of the focus is placed on the successful transfer of participant data, investment funds, and loan balances, cash reconciliation is often the area where operational risk quietly surfaces. Failing to fully reconcile cash inflows, outflows, and trades during the transition can lead to service disruptions, uninvested funds to audit findings and potential compliance breaches."  MORE >>

"What are CITs, and what do fiduciaries need to know before investing in them? ... [This article] explains how CITs are different from other investment options and offers a process for reviewing the appropriateness of CITs."  MORE >>

"Mercer's estimates are determined using the tax code's cost-of-living adjustment and rounding methods, the CPI-U through July and estimated CPI-U values for August and September. [A] table below shows two possible numbers for limits that are close to their rounding thresholds. Figures can't be finalized until after September CPI-U values are published in October."  MORE >>

"The aggregate market value funded percentage for multiemployer pension plans is estimated to be 100% as of June 30, 2025, up from 97% at the end of 2024.... As of June 30, 2025, 122 plans have received nearly $73 billion in special financial assistance (SFA) under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which added 9% to the aggregate funded percentage since the SFA program's inception."  MORE >>

"Eastman Kodak Company has terminated its pension plan that covered approximately 35,000 participants, and is offering a new cash balance retirement plan for its roughly 4,000 current employees ... [T]he company said it has been preparing for the pension plan termination for some time and expects to receive 'approximately $500 million of assets -- after meeting our obligations to all pension fund participants -- in December 2025 when the transaction closes.' "  MORE >>

"[The] University of Michigan ... has not received any additional funding following the Social Security Administration's February cuts ... [T]he New York Retirement and Disability Research Center, based at Baruch College in partnership with Hunter College and The New School, received a termination notice from the Social Security Administration on February 20, 2025 ... The center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison closed its doors earlier this month, as did the center operated by the National Bureau of Economic Research Retirement and Disability Research Center.... Though Boston College's Center for Retirement Research was also affected by the cuts ... the university's research center has received additional funding and remains in operation. "  MORE >>

"As a gateway, SEP-IRAs make sense. They're the training wheels of employer-sponsored retirement plans. But the problem is too many employers, and too many plan providers -- never take the training wheels off.... If your client has more than one employee, or plans to hire more, the SEP-IRA is a temporary fix at best, and a costly mistake at worst."  MORE >>

"The Trump administration has deployed troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., in recent months, and the president has named four more cities where he intends to deploy troops. Employers must provide job-protected leave to service members who are called to military duty. Domestic deployments for natural disasters or other emergencies may impact private employers with regard to their staffing levels, compensation costs, and employee benefits administration."  MORE >>

"A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) explained that the unified regulatory agenda that was briefly published last week was a draft version that was published by accident. An OMB spokesperson explained that 'The President's Unified Agenda has yet to be released. A now-former GSA contractor inadvertently posted a draft version.' The spokesperson did not say if the contractor was terminated or resigned, and did not comment on how accurate the draft version is or when a final might be expected."  MORE >>