"This notice provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, the corresponding spot segment rates ... and the 24-month average segment rates ... [as well as] the interest rate on 30-year Treasury securities ... as in effect for plan years beginning before 2008 and the 30-year Treasury weighted average rate[.]"  MORE >>

"Contributions that exceed the applicable annual limit – whether the basic limit or one of two catch-up contribution limits – must be corrected or they will not qualify for pretax treatment under Section 457(b). Excess contributions sometimes result from misapplication of the rules that govern the second type of catch-up contribution, which permits contributions over the regular limit during the three years preceding normal retirement age."  MORE >>

"This guide provides an overview of Non-Discrimination Testing [NDT], including what it is, which plans are affected, and key considerations for employers and HR professionals.... [1] What is NDT? ... [2] Why is NDT important for employers? ... [3] What does NDT evaluate? ... [4] Common Non-Discrimination Tests by plan type ... [5] How to prepare for an NDT ... [6] Timing for NDTs ... [7] What if a plan fails? ... [8] FAQs."  MORE >>

"The priorities of employers and their employees regarding workplace benefits have aligned, with a shared focus on higher pay, stronger retirement benefits and long-term financial security ... However, employees also reported a lack of clear communication from their companies about benefits. Most employees (88%) want benefits explained to them in plain language, instead of 'HR jargon' ... Employers also see the need for clarity, with 73% of employers saying employees repeatedly ask the same questions."  MORE >>

"With funded status holding at elevated levels, plan sponsors find themselves at a crossroads, deciding whether to transfer pension risk or continue managing assets in-house.... Planned uses of surplus assets varied across respondents ... After a decade-long decline, the expected return on assets (EROA) assumptions moved higher for the third consecutive year.... The average discount rate was 5.4% at the end of 2025, down 10 basis points from the prior year."  MORE >>

"[The authors] explore the cost and benefit tradeoffs associated with pension unfreezing using a model calibrated to market data within a stochastic framework.... [T]he extent to which restarting DB pensions affects a firm's total pension cost depends on factors such as pension surplus magnitude, employee salaries, firm financial stability, and [PBGC] premiums. In particular, with a high funding surplus and elevated employee salaries, unfreezing a CB plan can yield greater cost efficiency for companies than pension risk transfer, especially in a high interest rate environment."  MORE >>

"After decades of urging discipline, restraint, and delayed gratification, we're now concerned that retirees are too disciplined -- that they're depriving themselves of the very retirement they spent a lifetime preparing for.... The industry's current 'solution'? If they won't buy [an annuity] on their own -- and if plan fiduciaries are (still) hesitant to put it on the menu -- well, let's default them into it -- by embedding it in a target-date fund or managed account."  MORE >>

"The DOL's recently proposed rule on alternative investments ignores the fact that ERISA section 404(a) requires a plan sponsor to conduct an independent investigation and evaluation on each investment option chosen for a 401k plan. However, the very nature of alternative investments typically involves a basic lack of transparency, which effectively prevents the verification by a plan sponsor required by ERISA 404(a)."  MORE >>

"Public pensions, normally the first to lead securities fraud cases, have been notably absent from the Apollo/Epstein stock drop litigation. That absence may reflect a deeper conflict: the same pensions that could sue Apollo for misleading disclosures are heavily invested in its private equity and private credit funds, where valuations remain opaque and untested."  MORE >>

"[I]ndividuals and businesses in the State of Hawaii affected by flooding and mudslides due to severe storms that began on March 10, 2026 ... now have until July 8, 2026, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.... [I]ndividuals and households that reside or have business in Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui counties qualify for tax relief."  MORE >>

"Rev. Proc. 2026-3 says specifically that IRS will no longer issue PLRs on Section 420 transfers to a Section 401(h) retiree health account. However, the revenue procedure doesn't say IRS won't issue rulings on Section 420 transfers to a life insurance account. It's unclear whether IRS intended to limit its no-rule decision to transfers to a 401(h) account, and if so, what the agency's reason for doing so might be.... Instead of pursuing a Section 420 transfer, some employers might consider terminating their overfunded DB plans to take advantage of advantageous annuity pricing."  MORE >>

"[1] Supreme Court will consider 'meaningful benchmark' standard for ERISA imprudent-investment claims ... [2] Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals vacates district court decision certifying class ... [3] Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirms summary judgment, agreeing that defendants engaged in a prudent process ... [4] Recent developments in pension risk transfer cases ... [5] District court grants motion to dismiss claims challenging health plans' prescription drug costs with prejudice."

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