13 pages. "The Department of the Treasury and the [IRS] request comments on whether the requirements that brokers currently must meet to furnish certain payee statements to their customers in an electronic format and thereafter be treated as timely furnishing these statements should be modified and, if so, what those modifications should be. This notice also requests comments on whether the Treasury Department and the IRS should modify the electronic furnishing requirements applicable to any persons other than brokers required to furnish other payee statements."  MORE >>

"The proposal includes what the DOL terms as 'narrow' amendments to ERISA's two separate electronic disclosure safe harbors to implement the paper benefit statement requirement under [SECURE 2.0]. The proposed rule would apply to defined contribution (DC) and defined benefit (DB) plans that are subject to ERISA. Comments on the proposed rule are due by April 27, 2026[.]"  MORE >>

"[SECURE 2.0] narrowed the ability of plan sponsors to electronically furnish these participant benefit statements. Now, the DOL is proposing new regulations that implement this restriction and increase plan sponsors' obligation to furnish paper documents.... By ensuring that at least some plan documents are provided on paper, the DOL hopes that more participants will read and understand important plan information."  MORE >>

"Given the good faith compliance standard -- and the fact that the statutory requirement is already in effect -- plan administrators should review the proposal and consider implementing it sooner rather than later, although the requirements may change once finalized."  MORE >>

"Beginning in 2027, the Saver's Match replaces the Saver's Credit with a direct federal matching contribution deposited into the individual's retirement account. The government will match 50% of contributions up to $2,000 per year, meaning a qualifying worker could receive up to $1,000 directly in their retirement account."  MORE >>

"The deadline for a covered employer to register for the program depends on an employer's number of employees: [1] For employers with 30 or more employees, the deadline is March 18, 2026. [2] For employers with 15-29 employees, the deadline is May 15, 2026. [3] For employers with 10-14 employees, the deadline is July 15, 2026."  MORE >>

"[The company] explicitly acknowledged that climate change poses a material threat to its own business operations and moved to insulate its balance sheet, yet allegedly failed to apply similar risk analysis to its 401(k) plan....The case could have profound implications for the $12 trillion in retirement savings held in 401(k)-style plans, potentially establishing a legal precedent that recognizes climate risk management as a mandatory component of fiduciary duty." [Kvek v. Cushman & Wakefield U.S., Inc., No. 26-0736 (W.D. Wash. complaint filed Mar. 3, 2026)]  MORE >>

"[T]he Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of two companies accused of successor liability for a defunct employer's withdrawal liability, holding that the pension fund's eight-year delay in issuing a withdrawal liability demand violated the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act's requirement that notice and demand be made 'as soon as practicable.' " [RTI Restoration Techs., Inc. v. Int'l Painters & Allied Trades Indus. Pension Fund, No. 24-2874 (3d Cir. Mar. 3, 2026),]  MORE >>

"[This] ruling underscores a fundamental reality in ERISA litigation: fiduciary duties may be similar across plans, but the way those duties are carried out -- and evaluated -- is often anything but uniform. Whether a plan sponsor acted prudently depends on its own monitoring process, its own interactions with service providers, and its own understanding of what was happening inside the plan. And that, the court concluded, cannot be determined with a single stroke across thousands of plans." [Carfora v. TIAA, No. 21-8384 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 3, 2026)]  MORE >>

"The average Vanguard 401(k) balance rose to a record $167,970 at year-end 2025. The growth was driven by strong stock market gains and Americans' expanding use of automated savings plans. A record 6% of Vanguard participants took a hardship withdrawal in 2025, the sixth straight annual increase and triple the pre-pandemic rate."  MORE >>

"When you focus on retirement income (rather than how big the account balance is), it turns out that the most stable DB plan design is one where all those risks are (as in a DC plan) held by the same person: a market-based cash balance plan (MBCB).... [I]nflation, interest rates, and asset values are all correlated: more inflation means higher interest rates; higher interest rates mean (generally) lower asset values; and higher interest rates mean lower annuity conversion costs. The MBCB plan, which tracks these market effects in the same way a DC plan does, reflects all of that, providing more 'stability of income.' "  MORE >>

"[T]he PRT landscape has shifted dramatically as a result of increased competition.... Sponsors can now eliminate the cost and risk of retiree obligations while improving their balance sheets and potentially reducing pension expense, making PRT a win-win solution.... The premium for this type of transaction is as low as it has ever been, but there's no guarantee it will stay that way. Plan sponsors should consider a PRT transaction today."  MORE >>

"Roth accounts are the most tax advantageous in retirement, followed by a taxable brokerage account and traditional tax-deferred assets.... Retirees should be careful if they have taxable assets with a really low cost basis. For a lot of households, postretirement, pre-Social Security, and pre-RMD years can be very low-tax years, where you can accelerate withdrawals from a traditional IRA at an advantageous tax rate."  MORE >>