"This notice provides two safe harbor explanations that plan administrators may use ... to provide certain information to recipients of eligible rollover distributions. One safe harbor explanation is for distributions that are not from a designated Roth account, and the other safe harbor explanation is for distributions from a designated Roth account. These safe harbor explanations modify the two safe harbor explanations provided in Notice 2020-62 ... [to] take into consideration certain legislative changes made by [SECURE 2.0] and implement a recommendation from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)."  MORE >>

"[FRTIB] is amending a regulation to permit participants in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) to convert amounts in their traditional TSP balances to their Roth TSP balances, subject to applicable tax consequences.... A participant or beneficiary participant may request up to a maximum of 26 Roth in-plan conversions per calendar year. To be eligible for a Roth in-plan conversion, the participant or beneficiary participant must have a vested account balance of at least $500 at the time of the request. The total amount of a conversion request must be at least $500."  MORE >>

Rev. Dec. 2025. "Form 5310-A is used by employers to give notice of: [1] A plan merger or consolidation that is the combining of two or more plans into a single plan. [2] A plan spinoff that is the splitting of a single plan into two or more spinoff plans. [3] A plan transfer of plan assets or liabilities to another plan that is the splitting off of a portion of the assets or liabilities of the transferor plan and the concurrent acquisition or assumption of these split-off assets or liabilities by the transferee plan. [4] Qualified separate lines of business (QSLOBs).... An IRS determination letter will not be issued when a Form 5310-A is filed."  MORE >>

Dec. 30, 2025. "Use Form 8955-SSA to report information relating to each participant who separated from service covered by the plan and is entitled to a deferred vested benefit under the plan but is not paid this retirement benefit[.]"  MORE >>

"The plan granted the plan administrator discretionary authority to interpret the plan's terms, which in the normal case would set a high bar to overturn the plan's determinations. But because the Third Circuit determined that the plan administrator's denial of the participant's appeal did not adequately explain the basis for the denial, the plan forfeited those protections altogether, and the participant's benefits were reinstated." [Rombach v. Plumbers Local Union No. 27 Pension Fund, No. 24-2482 (3d Cir. Nov. 6, 2025)]  MORE >>

"The House today passed a bill designed to require that fiduciaries must base investment decisions solely on economic factors while explicitly limiting the consideration of factors such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, when selecting investments or managing plan assets.... [T]he Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act [HR 2988] seeks to amend [ERISA] to reinforce a pecuniary-only standard for fiduciaries who work with ERISA-covered retirement plans, including 401(k)s and pensions."  MORE >>

"Current proposals focus on practical improvements such as streamlining plan administration, expanding access for younger and independent workers, and introducing greater flexibility in investment and income options.... [This article describes] the retirement bills that have been introduced in this Congress, including what they mean to employers and what plan design decisions may lie ahead."  MORE >>

"Advisors should work with plan sponsors to determine how the increased limits may impact plan administration. For traditional 401(k) plans, your clients may need to consider whether the increased deferral limits could impact nondiscrimination testing results. Sponsors who offer safe-harbor, matching, and profit-sharing contributions should monitor matching formulas and safe-harbor contributions to determine whether adjustments are necessary."  MORE >>

"38% of employees say they've tapped their retirement funds -- and a third (33%) plan to do so within the next year.... Addressing these issues requires more than simply offering a retirement plan; it calls for a holistic approach to benefits.... [1] Help employees maximize existing benefits ... [2] Introduce emergency savings accounts ... [3] Make financial advice more accessible ... [4] Keep conversations open."  MORE >>

59 pages "[T]he effects of economic volatility on 401(k) values extend well beyond retirees. Because these accounts serve a dual purpose -- funding both retirement and, at times, current spending -- workers who are years away from retirement also feel the impact. This Article examines the ... consequences of economic volatility ... on 401(k) plan participants, including the ways in which inflation and recessionary pressures may drive pre-retirement withdrawals."  MORE >>

"Identifying clients' goals, comparing them to the footnotes and helping them find a product that will allow them to reach their goals sooner will solidify the advisor's position as an experienced resource.... Clients are often unaware if their annuity includes a surrender period, or they assume the surrender period for one annuity will be the same for each product ... It's important for advisors to clarify that while these products are marketed as having no fees, the returns shown to clients are net of all fees."  MORE >>

"For public schools, both the 403(b) and 457(b) are non-ERISA governmental retirement plans, meaning they are not subject to ERISA. While the two plans share many similarities ... [t]he ability to take penalty-free distributions upon separation -- regardless of age -- is one of the most significant advantages of the 457(b) plan."  MORE >>

"The changes to the national enforcement projects ... highlight where EBSA will focus its enforcement resources to increase broad-based employee benefit plan compliance, address abusive practices and bad actors, and deliver results that increase security for participants and beneficiaries.... investigators will prioritize cases related to: [1] Cybersecurity; [2] Barriers to mental health and substance use disorder benefits; [3] Protecting benefit distributions; [4] Retirement asset management; [5] Surprise billing; [6] Criminal abuse of contributory benefit plans. EBSA will continue its long-standing commitment to identifying abusive Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements [MEWAs] ... EBSA removed [ESOPs] from the national enforcement project list and will reduce its focus on missing participants following the establishment of the Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database."  MORE >>

"Trump Accounts present a meaningful new benefits opportunity for employers through tax-free employer contributions under Section 128 and pre-tax employee contributions through Section 125 cafeteria plans. Although Trump Accounts cannot receive contributions before July 4, 2026, employers interested in the benefit can begin evaluating budget considerations, program design, trustee coordination and nondiscrimination rules."  MORE >>

"What we saw in 2025: [1] Supreme Court: lowering the pleading bar for prohibited transaction claims ... [2] Defined benefit plans: evolving pension risk transfer and actuarial equivalence litigation ... [3] Defined contribution plans: expanding fiduciary breach theories ... [4] Health plan litigation: mounting cases even as health plan fiduciaries score wins ... [6] The Trump administration focuses on ERISA ... What [to watch] in 2026: [1] ERISA in the Supreme Court: the meaningful benchmark divide ... [2] ERISA jury trials in the Second Circuit: the saga continues."  MORE >>