48 pages. "What's New: [1] Automatic enrollment.... [2] Compensation limits for 2025 and 2026.... [3] Elective deferral limits for 2025 and 2026.... [4] Defined contribution limits for 2025 and 2026.... [5] Defined benefit limits for 2025 and 2026.... [6] SIMPLE plan salary reduction contribution limits for 2025 and 2026.... [7] Catch-up contribution limits for 2025 and 2026.... [8] Higher catch-up contribution limit for ages 60 to 63.... [9] Distributions from Roth accounts."  MORE >>

"Mandatory cash-out distributions may clear small account balances from the company's 401(k) plan; however, forced cash-outs can also create risk, leakage, and unhappy former employees. This post breaks down the increased $7,000 cash-out limit under SECURE Act 2.0, default safe harbor rollover IRAs, and how auto portability works as an enhancement to the mandatory cash-outs so you can simplify administration while protecting participant outcomes."  MORE >>

"Legislation that would create the Mississippi Work and Save Program is moving quickly.... Private-sector employees in Utah are one step closer to being able to avail themselves of a new savings vehicle that would facilitate preparing for retirement.... Private-sector employees in Kansas whose employers do not offer them a retirement plan would obtain coverage through the Kansas Empowerment Savings Program if legislation now before the state House of Representatives is enacted."  MORE >>

"The nation's highest court's consideration of a 401(k) suit involving alternative investments and the need for a 'meaningful benchmark' has been bumped till next term. While the justices recently agreed to extend briefing due dates in the case ... its absence on the court's April calendar indicates a delay, in this case till next term." [Anderson v. Intel Corp. Inv. Policy Comm., No. 22-16268 (9th Cir. May 22, 2025; cert. pet. granted Jan 16, 2026, No. 25-498)]  MORE >>

"[T]he Fifth Circuit held that the arbitration clause in the company's defined contribution retirement plan violated the effective vindication doctrine because it prohibited participants from asserting claims in a representative capacity on behalf of the plan, which the Court explained 'is facially at odds with the statutory text' of ERISA Section 409 'and the remedy it provides.' The arbitration clause was also unenforceable because it only permitted participants to obtain individualized relief in arbitration rather than plan-wide relief.... [A table] lists the federal appellate courts that have applied the effective vindication doctrine in holding that an ERISA plan arbitration clause was unenforceable." [Parrott v. International Bancshares Corp., No. 25-50367 (5th Cir. Feb. 10, 2026)]  MORE >>

"Annuity purchases for retirees with small benefit amounts can be an easy and highly effective way to reduce PBGC premiums and save money at no cost to plan participants. For plan sponsors not subject to the PBGC Variable Rate Premium Cap, purchasing annuities for retirees receiving less than $380 monthly will save the plan money. For plan sponsors subject to the cap, purchasing annuities for retirees receiving less than $1,070 monthly will save the plan money."  MORE >>

"Managed accounts offer personalization and improved outcomes but raise cost-effectiveness concerns for sponsors. ROI comparison between managed accounts and education programs is needed for better decision-making. More due diligence is recommended before implementing managed account solutions in retirement plans."  MORE >>

"[W]orking while receiving Social Security can come with a significant tax drag. If you claim before your full retirement age (currently 67), Social Security benefits are subject to the “earnings test,” a formula that temporarily withholds a portion of benefits if your wage income exceeds certain levels. You may also need to pay taxes on Social Security benefits or surcharges on Medicare premiums, or simply be pushed into higher income tax brackets."  MORE >>

"The average millennial (ages 30 to 45 in 2026) contributes 8.8% of their salary to their 401(k), and their employer contributes 4.6%. Many financial experts suggest a target of 15% in total. Median 401(k) balances for people in their 30s are about $25,000 -- $40,000, while the average, which skews higher, is over $100,000."  MORE >>

"[P]ublic pension liabilities are not legally treated as general obligation-type debt and are not subject to the safeguards restricting GO debt undertakings. In some states, these pension obligations have even stronger claims on the full-faith and credit of the state than GO debt. The lack of general obligation debt type safeguards constraining public pension liabilities has significant implications on the financial risk position of state and local governments"  MORE >>