"From Roth catch-up contributions to new paper statement requirements and distributions for long-term care premiums, the coming year promises to test your adaptability and attention to your clients' needs. [Here] are some factors to consider or questions to evaluate to ensure compliance and deliver value."  MORE >>

"With the release dates of December 11th and December 17th respectively, all changes made to the 2026 Forms W-4P must be incorporated in substitute forms by no later than January 10, 2026, and the changes made to the 2026 Form W-4R must be incorporated in substitute forms by no later than January 16, 2026."  MORE >>

23 pages. "During this first year, my office focused on information gathering and knowledge sharing.... We will build on the work of the previous Advocate and ensure we have a deep understanding of the mechanisms and operational aspects of PBGC's work while continually building our capacity to serve PBGC's participant and plan sponsor customers.... Many of the Office of the Advocate's activities this year focused on internal processes and education: connecting and collaborating with relevant PBGC offices, ensuring we understand and have access to the technology and tools used by PBGC business areas, and creating synergies that allow my office to be more responsive and effective to customers."  MORE >>

"An effective RFP will determine the quality of the respondents and will help reduce the time and effort expended in the overall RFP and selection process.... [T]he plan sponsor should provide audit firms with sufficient information about the nature of the plan and the engagement to allow them to make a meaningful and comprehensive proposal that addresses your specific needs and evaluation criteria."  MORE >>

"In its latest Private Pension Plan Bulletin, 'Abstract of 2023 Form 5500 Annual Reports,' EBSA provides data about and from the Forms 5500 filed in 2023, the most recent year for which full data is available in this format.... The report offers a look at some of the long-term trends [based on] the information gathered by the Form 5500 Series."  MORE >>

"As we look ahead to 2026, plan sponsors face a shifting landscape of regulation, fiduciary risk and opportunity, evolving plan design, and rapidly changing participant expectations. In many respects, this moment represents a continuation of change -- but with unusual force and urgency.... [P]lan sponsors will need to be proactive."  MORE >>

"There is a popular myth in the financial media that reaching an 80% funded status is the ultimate benchmark for pension plan health. In reality, ... funded status alone rarely provides a complete picture of a pension system's well-being.... Public pension plans in this position may want to consider [specific] actions to help protect and build on this valuable ground gained.... [P]lans that are not quite there should also take a cue from these concepts[.]"  MORE >>

"During the hearing, the Subcommittee Chair specifically focused on a ... the ERISA Litigation Reform Act (HR 6084), that would override the most troubling aspects of the Supreme Court's decision in Cunningham v. Cornell.... [O]ptimism that such a solution could move forward on a bipartisan basis was dashed by the hearing. And without some bipartisanship in the Senate (at least 7 votes), legislation to fix the Cornell problem will not be enacted ... [The industry needs] to keep raising the profile of the baseless nature of so many of these suits, including, ironically enough, the Cornell suit itself. "  MORE >>

"[S]everal new laws will have significant implications for qualified retirement plans, including amendments that must be made by the 2026 plan year.... The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) also contains provisions impacting health and welfare plans, many of which are effective beginning January 1, 2026.... [M]any cost-of-living adjustments that are mandated by law will impact retirement plans and health and welfare plans in 2026.... [This article provides] plan sponsors with summaries of the key action items they should be considering, now and in the future[.]"  MORE >>

"This guide provides a high-level reference resource, in a plan-by-plan format, on how to approach each benefit arrangement when an employee gets divorced, and offers up some practical tips on employee benefits issues that may arise as you manage your company's response to an employee's divorce."  MORE >>

"The forthcoming guidance would build on the DOL's 2020 electronic disclosure safe harbor, which allowed plan sponsors and recordkeepers to treat electronic delivery as the default for participants with valid email addresses or mobile phone numbers on file, subject to notice and opt-out requirements.... [T]he new SECURE 2.0 mandate underscores an enduring policy tension: how to capture the efficiency and engagement benefits of electronic communications without excluding participants who rely on, or prefer, paper."  MORE >>

"[1] Monitor ongoing developments on executive compensation disclosure rules; [2] Review executive security practices and related disclosure considerations; [3] Review proxy disclosures around non-GAAP measures in incentive plans; [4] Review 2025 say-on-pay voting trends ... [5] Stay current on proxy advisor firm developments ... [6] Ensure operational readiness for potential clawbacks; [7] Evaluate CEO succession planning and related disclosures; [8] Prepare for expansion of Section 162(m) covered employees in 2027 and the new aggregation rule; and [9] Monitor noncompete developments."  MORE >>

"There may be a convergence of at least four factors that could bode poorly for proxy-advisory firms. First, .. there was the Trump reelection. Then, there is the ramping up of controversy and criticism ... of proxy advisors firms that have made their way towards matters relating to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social and governance (ESG),  ... [T]hese federal factors are evolving against the backdrop of the extremely high-profile approval of the Musk compensation package over the clear objection and no-vote recommendation of the principal proxy-advisory firms. And now, we have the Executive Order taking direct aim at proxy advisors."  MORE >>