"With this clarity provided by the DOL, employers that stay within the guardrails described in the [Technical Release 2026-02] may offer TACPs and TA-related payroll deductions without triggering the full range of ERISA Title I obligations. Employers that facilitate post-growth-period payroll deductions should be especially mindful of the endorsement prong of the IRA safe harbor."  MORE >>

"Plan sponsors should review and inventory the changes implemented for their retirement plans over the last six years as a result of the CARES Act, SECURE Act, and SECURE 2.0 Act. Each change will need to be accurately reflected in an applicable plan amendment.... Plan sponsors with pre-approved plans should work with their pre-approved plan provider to ensure that their amendments are drafted with sufficient time to enable review and adoption before December 31, 2026."  MORE >>

"Common amendment areas include: [1] Coronavirus-related distributions and loan provisions; [2] Waiver or treatment of 2020 RMDs; [3] Increased RMD age (now up to 73, with future increases); [4] Long-term part-time employee eligibility rules; [5] Automatic enrollment and escalation features; [6] Updated required distribution timing rules; [7] Cash-out thresholds for small balances; [8] Roth catch-up provisions."  MORE >>

"[O]ne line item, for the [PBGC] ... asked Congress for $1 billion, 'to increase the benefit levels for participants of certain pension plans that were sponsored by Delphi Corporation and terminated as a result of General Motors' bankruptcy.' And just like that, new life was given to the long-simmering question of whether up to 20,000 nonunion retirees who say they saw their benefits cut, some by as much as 30%-70% initially after the Obama administration ran GM through a structured bankruptcy to prevent its financial ruin, might be made whole at last."  MORE >>

"When a plan sponsor commences a chapter 7 bankruptcy case, the trustee of the bankruptcy estate is responsible for terminating and winding down all retirement plans. The termination of a 401(k) or other retirement plan in bankruptcy requires careful coordination across multiple regulatory regimes."  MORE >>

"[To] be effective any [Asset Liability Management (ALM)] study requires careful consideration of both system assets and liabilities and ... how to integrate these elements appropriately to examine key areas of interest.... Actuaries are critical to understanding how economic assumptions influence plan liabilities and tradeoffs involving plan funding. If an actuarial perspective is not present in the key policy discussions, the decision-makers may miss important information[.]"  MORE >>

"[P]articipants enrolled in retirement plans for a minimum of five years saw balances grow by 2.1 times compared to figures in 2020.... The average participation rate for plans utilizing auto features was 86%, compared to 36% for plans who go without such benefits. Further, plans with auto-enrollment default rates of 7% or more had the highest participation rates at 90%, as well as leading savings rates at 9.6%."  MORE >>

"[1] Social Security won't be there for me.... [2] I don't need a long-term care plan because I'll stay in my home.... [3] Medicaid will cover my long-term care costs.... [4] Now that I'm retired, long-term investment returns no longer apply to me.... [5] I shouldn't spend from principal.... [6] My income taxes will be lower in retirement.... [7] I need to hit a specific number, like $1 million, to retire."  MORE >>

"[B]ecause, practically, unexpected inflation risk is always on the participant, the most robust solution to these challenges is to leave this bundle of risks with the participant. Doing so allows the participant to exploit key correlations to actually reduce volatility in his long-term project of producing adequate income in retirement.... [T]hat sounds counterintuitive, especially for sponsors that live in an all account-based (401(k)/DC or market cash balance) world. Why that is the case is what the rest of this article is about."  MORE >>

"[The authors] expect that most employers who are interested in establishing Trump account contribution programs intend to do so through a pre-tax salary-reduction feature under a cafeteria plan and/or by providing what has been referred to as a 'match' of the $1,000 seed money provided to the Trump accounts of eligible children born between 2025 -- 2028, which is an employer contribution. For the most part, [in Technical Release 2026-02] DOL has clarified its view that ERISA does not apply to these arrangements."  MORE >>

"Retirement savings can be significantly boosted by equity compensation. When factoring stock options, restricted stock/RSUs, or ESPPs into your retirement planning, you should know the answers to the following questions that apply to you."  MORE >>