69 pages. "The [DOL] is proposing narrow amendments to two separate electronic disclosure safe harbors for purposes of implementing section 338 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. Taken together, the two existing safe harbors permit the broad use of electronic disclosure under prescribed conditions for the furnishing of required disclosures under Title I of [ERISA]. Section 338 of SECURE 2.0 amended section 105(a)(2) of ERISA to require retirement plans to provide paper benefit statements in certain cases. Section 338 also instructed the Department to update its electronic disclosure safe harbors in connection with the statutory changes. The proposed amendments would implement these Congressional mandates."  MORE >>

"Presumably, using the IRS's own proposed RMD rules would be considered a good-faith interpretation of the SECURE 2.0 Act RMD provisions. Still, some in the industry may benefit from the extra time [provided by IRS Announcement 2026-7] to prepare their systems for compliance with the RMD rules."  MORE >>

"This [article] explores a series of policy recommendations to the several regulators impacted by the Executive Order.... [The] article also includes suggestions as to what market participants such as investment managers, fund sponsors, insurance companies, recordkeepers, and intermediaries as well as Plan fiduciaries can do now in light of evolving legal and commercial developments."  MORE >>

"Under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA), property and assets, including retirement plan benefits, cannot be distributed directly to a minor. Instead, the UTMA permits retirement plan sponsors to transfer benefits owed to a minor to an adult custodian to safeguard until the minor reaches the age of majority.... While the UTMA is designed to create a uniform process, some states maintain differences in the legal process or required language. For simplicity purposes, this article focuses on the Wisconsin UTMA "  MORE >>

"Effective as of March 2026, covered employers must either register for, or certify their exemption from, the New York State Secure Choice Savings Program.... All private sector employers are covered by New York Secure Choice if they: [1] had ten or more employees in (or based in) New York during the prior calendar year, and [2] have been in business for at least two years."  MORE >>

"The suit also states that the defendant allowed BANA and its affiliate Merrill Lynch to act under the plan as trustee, custodian, recordkeeper, and/or investment manager, 'which presents conflicts of interest that implicate prohibited transactions under ERISA.' ... [The complaint also alleges] 'that Defendant has also allowed BANA to use its affiliate's role as recordkeeper to obtain information for use in its role as investment advisor.' " [Ventura v. Lithia Motors, Inc., No. 26-1786 (C.D. Calif. complaint filed Feb. 19, 2026)]  MORE >>

"Allowing sophisticated investors to direct the investment of their own accounts into alternative investments may be the wave of the future in some profit-sharing plans. But investing for a defined benefit plan is a whole other animal. A fiduciary needs to be informed about how a defined benefit plan works so as to understand how investment return can affect the funding obligations.... Investing in alternative investments, like cryptocurrency and private equity alternatives, may not always be appropriate for all plans."  MORE >>

"Empower has announced a new partnership with Blackstone, adding private equity, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure strategies to its defined contribution platform.... Plan sponsors and advisors should be asking hard questions. How do fees compare? How is liquidity managed? What happens in market stress? How is participant suitability determined? And perhaps most importantly, how do you document fiduciary prudence when offering strategies that most participants have never heard of and don't fully understand?"  MORE >>

"The [ICI] survey finds that gig workers across all age groups actually report similar rates of household retirement account ownership as non-gig workers. These results suggest that the retirement system is functioning in ways that are frequently overlooked, even as policymakers continue to explore how it might better adapt to a changing workforce."  MORE >>

"[T]he number of small businesses with an active retirement plan increased from fewer than one in five to nearly one in three between 2019 and 2025, representing a 58% increase.... Businesses with fewer than five employees saw a boost from 12% to 19%, while workplaces with five to nine employees increased access from 22% to 34%."  MORE >>

"EBSA established the Employee Ownership Initiative and built a solid foundation for future programs in less than two years ... DEO built relationships with a wide range of federal, state, industry, and community stakeholders; spoke at events and generated articles and blogs; advised state partners and employers; and created a website to educate the public about employee ownership, employee participation, and related state programs."  MORE >>

"While insurance regulation is technically state-based, the NAIC writes the model laws, develops solvency standards, drafts accounting rules, and coordinates national policy. State regulators almost uniformly adopt NAIC models.... Which means this private, membership-based organization effectively shapes the rules governing: [1] Trillions in life insurance reserves; [2] Over $2 trillion in individual annuity reserves; [3] The solvency standards protecting retirees; [4] The accounting treatment of general account assets; [5] The risk-based capital formulas that determine whether insurers survive or fail. And yet, for something that central, transparency has lagged far behind modern expectations."  MORE >>

"The USPS recently changed a rule so that postmarks may reflect the processing date, rather than the date a post office obtained a letter or package. The new rule could lead to fines for employers if mandatory notices concerning employee benefit plans are deemed late. Electronically sending mandatory notices can help to meet a legal deadline, if the recipient has agreed to electronic communications."  MORE >>