Conversation with Former SEC Chief Economist Dr. Jessica Wachter on Investment Management Rulemaking at the Commission – PE Pathways
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Forfeitures Under Fire
5 Key Takeaways | IRS Final RMD Rules & Proposed Regulations to Address SECURE 2.0 Act Issues
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New IRS Guidance on SECURE 2.0 Act Student Loan Employer Contributions
Long-Term Part-Time Employee Eligibility Rules Now in Effect — Troutman Pepper Podcast
What Can A Tax Attorney Do For You? A Podcast With Janathan Allen
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Auto-Portability: A New Way to Keep Retirement Savings Growing
#WorkforceWednesday: SECURE Act 2.0 - What 401(k) Plan Sponsors Need to Know - Employment Law This Week®
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Plan Administrators’ 2022 Year-End Checklist
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Court Decisions Impacting Plan Sponsors and Fiduciaries
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Helping Employers Address the Gender Gap in Retirement Savings
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Millennials, Boomers and Retirement Planning
The Form 5500: What All Employers and Plan Administrators Need to Know and How to Avoid Costly Fines
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Cryptocurrency in 401(k) Plans
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - What Constitutes Plan Assets Under ERISA?
2022 Resolutions: What Healthcare Practices Need To Tackle In the New Year
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Cautionary Tales for Preapproved Plan Documents
DOL Clarifies Timing of Lifetime Income Disclosures in Benefit Statements
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Back to the Future: SECURE Act and SECURE Act 2.0
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Payroll Integration for Plan Sponsors
One of my favorite sayings is: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” To me, it’s a reminder that even when we mean well, things don’t always turn out the way we hoped....more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors. The directive marks a significant policy shift by encouraging regulators to make it easier...more
In the retirement plan business, I’ve watched too many plan providers obsess over competitors—who’s stealing clients, who’s lowering fees, who’s suddenly offering “cutting-edge” solutions. But here’s the truth: if a plan...more
On July 29, 2025, the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) published limited interpretive guidance regarding pooled employer plans, or “PEPs,” in the Federal Register (the “New Guidance”). Although PEPs are available to all sizes...more
If you’re a TPA and you’re not talking to your small business clients about SEP-IRAs, you’re missing the plot. But if you’re only talking about SEP-IRAs, you’re missing the opportunity....more
In a world where retirement plan innovation often comes with more flash than substance, it’s refreshing to see a strategic alliance that actually addresses a fundamental challenge in defined contribution plans: providing real...more
If you’re a plan provider—advisor, TPA, recordkeeper, or pooled plan provider—you’ve probably heard the advice a million times: “Create content to stay top of mind with plan sponsors.” But what kind of content actually works?...more
On July 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued some new interpretive guidance as part of a request for information (“RFI”) about pooled employer plans (“PEPs”) and an employer’s fiduciary responsibilities that...more
Vestwell made headlines today by announcing a new partnership with Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program to offer Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) to delivery associates. Sounds impressive, right? Let’s slow down. I’ve...more
I enjoy business history and why certain businesses and organizations fail. I knew Sears and Blockbuster Video would fail, years ahead of time. I knew the synagogue where I was a member and where my son had his bris, would...more
I was very lucky that when I started as an ERISA attorney in 1998, I worked as a staff attorney for a third-party administrator (TPA). It gave me insight and experience that I could never have gotten as an attorney working...more
When I was at law school in Washington D.C., I discovered Hollywood Video which was a thousand times better than Blockbuster because it had a better selection and the rental price was less. I’d spend my free time watching...more
Whether, and the extent to which, a plan fiduciary can consider nonpecuniary environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) objectives in selecting plan investments has been a hot-button issue for many years, with the view on...more
A “sales gimmick” is a term that refers to a method a business employs to immediately generate demand for its product or service. I just bought Fan Fest tickets 6 months in advance because they were giving me a $30...more
When I started at a law firm over 16 years ago, my idea was to start a National practice that was devoted to ERISA and single-employer re- tirement plans. The idea was that utilizing the law firm’s existing clientele to...more
When I was a kid in day school in Brooklyn, we had a classmate whose shtick was that he was rich. He wasn’t rich, his father was a pa- thologist who worked at a city hospital, his mother didn’t work, and they rented a nice...more
Iremember as a kid in the 1980s, being fascinated that 2000 was upon us. Now, we are almost 25 years in, and 2025 is just around the corner. The beauty of the 401(k) plan business is that it’s constantly changing, it’s way...more
When I was a kid, I was rather shy. It certainly didn’t help that my parents were domineering. Even as an adult, I would always try to be agree- able and try to get along by not saying no. For the past 14 years with my...more
By nature, he’s a malcontent. He’s always been a malcontent and you know, that’s just life.” That was re- cord executive David Geffen speaking about The Eagles’ Don Henley. That could probably describe me as an employee. The...more
With Thanksgiving done, we look to the holidays and the New Year. While many of us are busy shopping for loved ones, many businesses and individuals have their eyes geared towards next year. As a retirement plan sponsor, you...more
Plan administrators should review the following actions to be taken before the end of 2024 and focus on what to expect for 2025. The following checklist addresses plan amendments, notices, and other considerations for...more
Ialways say that the real reason I never hired employees for my law firm is that I was once an employee too. That means that no matter what my employer could do, there would probably be some- thing I still would complain...more
This chart shows some of the annually adjusted dollar limits that impact employee benefits, as published by the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation....more
Having a small plan like a SEP a SIMPLE or a Solo 401(k) Plan may make sense from a financial standpoint. The problem is like I felt when I was an associate attorney at some “fak- akta” (my favorite Yiddish word) Long Is-...more
Our lives are the sum of our choices. How we act and choose to interact with other people can have a bear- ing on our business as 401(k) plan provid- ers. I may be good at a lot of things, but lying isn’t one of them. I...more