"[T]he Order specifically names and targets two leading firms, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ... [and] asserts that these firms use their influence to advance agendas such as DEI and ESG, which, according to the Order, may not align with the sole priority of investor returns. The Order directs the [SEC] (SEC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and [DOL] to take actions intended to promote accountability, transparency, and competition."  MORE >>

"While 2025 saw an expansion of automatic savings features in defined contribution (DC) plans, an increased focus on managed accounts, and improved financial wellness programs ... [one consultant] sees the retirement industry moving towards a renewed focus on pooled employer plans (PEPs), incoming provisions created in SECURE 2.0 legislation, and a push towards participant engagement beyond auto-enrollment features in the new year."  MORE >>

"About 6.7% of Vanguard-held individual retirement account investors missed RMDs in 2024, resulting in total tax penalties of approximately $1.7 billion.... Owners of smaller Vanguard IRAs were more likely to miss RMDs -- with 56.8% of investors with balances under $5,000 missing their RMD in 2024, compared with 2.5% of investors with balances of more than $1 million."  MORE >>

"Gen Z is investing in their retirement, but anxiety -- not prudent financial planning -- is often the motivator.... Young workers have started their careers facing an unwelcoming job market, a student loan debt crisis, rising housing costs, and threats to Social Security. They're also tasked with securing a future that feels increasingly far away."  MORE >>

"In most ESOP transactions, particularly leveraged buyouts, there is an inherent conflict between the goals of selling shareholders and the goals of the ESOP.... The independent trustee serves as the neutral fiduciary, charged with evaluating the transaction and deciding whether the ESOP should proceed. This includes the initial transaction forming the ESOP and any subsequent transactions involving an ESOP. The independent trustee works to make sure these inherently conflicted transactions meet regulatory requirements by remaining arms-length transactions."  MORE >>

"[I]ndependent journalist and teacher Jim Vail documented a striking confrontation between Teacher Trustee Erika Meza and the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund's external consultant, Callan Associates ... The exchange highlights the growing tension between rank-and-file educator fiduciaries and institutional insiders pushing private markets -- especially private equity -- with all of the attendant cost, complexity, and opacity that has plagued many U.S. public pension systems."  MORE >>

"International experience suggests that fiscal crises often serve as catalysts for politically difficult but necessary retirement program reforms. Across advanced economies, rising debt burdens and economic shocks have forced governments to confront unsustainable retirement programs, often prompting benefit restraint and the adoption of automatic stabilizers to limit the need for future political intervention. The lessons from these international reforms are especially relevant for the United States, as Social Security's finances deteriorate and the costs of delay continue to mount."  MORE >>