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CapTrust Plan Sponsor Strategic Research Report, Third Quarter 2012 (PDF)

Articles include: MAP-21 Implications for Defined Benefit Funding Strategies; A Three-Step Approach to Nonqualified Plan Financing; Recent Conversations With Plan Participants; Navigating Bonds in Today's Low-rate Environment.

Conducting an Effective Advisor RFP Process (PDF)

"[T]he advisor RFP appears to be on a fast track to become the preferred method for conducting an advisor search or documenting that an existing advisor is qualified to meet an individual plan's specific needs.... [The authors] see four primary plan sponsor motivations for engaging in an advisor RFP process: [1] Plan changes over time.... [2] Increased fiduciary burden.... [3] Market intelligence.... [4] Formality of process."

Recent Litigation Surrounding Fiduciary Disclosure Obligations

"In a recent case, the provisions of a conflicting SPD may prevail. The case was sent back to the lower court because the error in the SPD was so significant that it could be found to be constructive fraud.... [Two other cases demonstrate there] are two primary situations for which plan fiduciaries can be liable for not disclosing information to plan participants.... Not telling a participant about a future benefit that is under serious consideration, knowledge of which would be material to the participant; and Leaving out information about a current benefit when the fiduciary knows that silence might be harmful."

Optimizing Your Company's Retirement Plan

"[F]ocus on four key elements: [1] getting employees into the plan; [2] getting them to save an adequate amount of money toward their retirement goals; [3] getting them invested appropriately based upon their specific circumstances; and [4] getting plan participants engaged in the saving, investing, and, ultimately, retirement planning process."

Five New Members Appointed to 2018 ERISA Advisory Council

"Current members Cynthia Levering and Srinivas Dharam Reddy will serve as the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the council.... The newly appointed members and the expertise they represent are: [1] Employers: David J. Kritz is General Attorney for Norfolk Southern Corporation ... [2] Corporate Trust: Linda M. Kerschner is a Senior Vice President of CAPTRUST Financial Advisors ... [3] General Public: David Blanchett is Head of Retirement Research at Morningstar Investment Management ... [4] Investment Management: Jason Bortz is Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel at Capital Group ... [5] Employee organizations: Bridget O'Connor is General Counsel of the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers (BAC)."

Rising Interest Rates: What Retirement Plan Sponsors Need to Know

"[M]any retirement plan committee members are facing a rising-rate environment for the first time in their careers. It will be important for them to understand this reversal in economic conditions and its broad impacts as they navigate this new environment and help participants do the same.... 60 percent of plan sponsors surveyed [recently] listed target date funds as the investment option they are most worried about during a period of rising rates."

What Exactly Is ESG Investing?

"[Of] the $40.3 trillion of assets under management in the U.S. in 2016, $8.1 trillion was invested in ESG portfolios. That growth represents a 30 percent increase from $6.57 trillion in 2014.... No uniform definition exists, but at its heart, ESG investing is an investment methodology that allows an investor to apply a set of criteria that aligns portfolio investments with the investor's ethical considerations or values.... And since ESG criteria are based upon corporate attributes, they apply to both stocks and bonds issued by a company."

The Surprising Benefits of a 3(38) Fiduciary

"3(38) investment managers are a distinct breed of fiduciaries legally required to act in their clients' best interests when it comes to choosing funds and managing assets. They select, monitor, and benchmark retirement plan investments on a discretionary basis.... Smaller companies are happy to reclaim time; larger companies are often glad to unload some of the risks that aren't core to their businesses. But any size company is pleased when its investments achieve better outcomes."

A Crystal Ball and a Compass: The Plan Sponsor's Guide to Navigating 2017

"History will likely show that the events of 2016 were an impetus for significant change in the landscape of America's retirement system.... [T]he following issues will be the main drivers of change. The DOL's fiduciary rule ... Litigation on the rise ... An improving economic environment ... Future policy direction."

Choosing a Beneficiary for Your IRA or 401(k)

"[Y]ou need to know the impact of income tax and estate tax laws in order to select the right beneficiaries. Although taxes shouldn't be the sole determining factor ... ignoring the impact of taxes could lead you to make an incorrect choice. In addition, if you're married, beneficiary designations may affect the size of minimum required distributions to you from your IRAs and retirement plans while you're alive."