72 pages; Nov. 3, 2025. "Reminders: [1] Excise tax relief for certain 2024 required minimum distributions (RMDs).... [2] Income on corrective distributions of excess contributions.... [3] Modification of required distribution rules for designated beneficiaries.... [4] Simplified employee pension (SEP) and SIMPLE plans.... [5] Deemed IRAs.... [6] Statement of required minimum distribution (RMD).... [7] IRA interest.... [8] Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). "  MORE >>

"While plans are not required to offer Roth contributions, those that don't will be prohibited from accepting catch-up contributions from otherwise eligible employees. This provision appears to effectively force sponsors of plans that currently allow only pre-tax catch-up contributions to either [1] amend their plans to permit Roth deferrals, or [2] limit catch-up eligibility to non-highly compensated employees."  MORE >>

12 pages. "Target date funds nudge people in the right direction, especially for younger investors. But near-retirees and retirees need choice and guidance to make sure their asset allocation has the right risks.... Individuals should customize the withdrawal plan to minimize taxes and optimize income.... [A]rtificial intelligence (AI) could be an invaluable resource to tailor asset allocation and withdrawal plans cost effectively. "  MORE >>

31 pages. "Three key themes from the survey: [1] Taft-Hartley plans face many challenges and competing priorities that go beyond simply meeting their investment goals.... [2] Plan sponsors recognize the need for educating their boards' trustees, but too few are taking action -- and participant education poses challenges of its own.... [3] Taft-Hartley plans continue to see the value in alternatives and expect to increase their allocations."  MORE >>

"[T]he best fit for alternatives in DC plans is a modest allocation within professionally managed multi-asset products -- especially target-date funds ... [P]lan fiduciaries must thoroughly document their decisionmaking process; comprehend valuation and liquidity mechanics for the asset classes they decide to add; and be prepared for increased scrutiny and possible litigation."  MORE >>

"[T]he Restoring Integrity in Fiduciary Duty Act [S 3086] ... [provides that] fiduciaries would be limited to consider only financial factors of an investment when making decisions about investment options.... [T]he Providing Complete Information to Retirement Investors Act [S 3083] ... would require notices to plan participants each time they allocate money in or out of a brokerage window (i.e., self-directed investments not selected by a fiduciary) and may result in lower returns."  MORE >>

"Whether you're changing employers, retiring, or taking a career break, knowing how to manage your old 401(k) can help you avoid unnecessary taxes and keep your retirement strategy on track. Americans ... born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 12.9 jobs between ages 18 and 58.5 Deciding what to do with an old 401(k) is therefore a common step in any career transition."  MORE >>

"Reasons to roll over ... [1] Your plan has high-cost investments.... [2] You have a trail of 401(k) accounts.... [3] You need more bond funds.... [4] You want flexibility for withdrawals.... Stick with the 401(k)? ... [1] You plan to retire early…or late.... [2] You want to invest in a Roth IRA, but you earn too much to contribute.... [3] You worry about the loss of Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA).... [4] You're worried about lawsuits."  MORE >>

"Defined Contribution (DC) plans -- primarily 401(k)s and 403(b)s -- now hold over $12 trillion in assets ... Within these plans, Target Date Funds (TDFs) are the default investment option for most participants. Increasingly, TDFs are being housed in Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) rather than SEC-registered mutual funds.... CITs operate in a poorly regulated gray zone.... TDFs held in state-regulated CITs are therefore emerging as one of the most dangerous and least transparent areas in the retirement system."  MORE >>

"[F]ederal policies have real, measurable impacts on state and local budgets and public pensions. Plan sponsors should not look to contributions and benefits as the place to cut costs ... [P]ension funds receiving their full actuarially determined contribution ... reported funded ratios 20 percentage points higher than those that did not. Over time, this translates into substantial taxpayer savings and greater financial stability."  MORE >>

"[A]nalysis [of] 2024 disclosures (reflecting the 2023 financial year) from 871 companies across Europe and North America ... suggest[s] that ESG metric payouts are broadly in line with those of financial metrics, suggesting a comparable level of goal-setting rigor. However, a more nuanced picture emerges when we look at different types of ESG metrics in more detail."  MORE >>