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
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
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
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
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
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
In the movie “Back to School,” Thornton Melon, played by Rodney Dangerfield laments that his second wife, Vanessa is a pain and gives a “great headache.” While participants, namely business owners, want a self-directed...more
Unless you have been living under a rock or in a cave for the past dozen years, there has been a lot of consolidation in the retirement plan busi- ness. For many, it’s a great thing and for many, it’s not. As a retirement...more
When people are sick, especially with debilitating illnesses or diseases, it’s natural for them to travel far and wide to get the best medi- cal coverage possible. People who are ill will try to find the best medical coverage...more
One of the great things about my iPhone is the alarm that serves as my wake-up call, whether at home or on the road. When it comes to being a retirement plan sponsor, employers never had a wake-up call about their fiduciary...more
Ihave tried Chromium Picolinate for the last 25 years and I didn’t think it makes me lose weight and that Vitamin C hasn’t stopped a cold. The same can be said about statin supplements that haven’t lowered my Cholesterol....more
Life is hard, so is being a 401(k) plan sponsor. It’s a challenging job and there are many ways you can limit those challenges. There are opportunities to make your life easier as a plan sponsor, but you need to know what it...more
As a solo ERISA attorney am try- ing to sift through the emails, robo calls, and LinkedIn invita- tions from people who are trying to sell me something. I’m a big fan of good marketing and most of what I see sucks. Whether...more
As someone who has been fired and has been fired, it’s never a pleasant experience. Even firing a gardener who wasn’t doing their job wasn’t fun for me. Yet, there are so many reasons why you have to fire your retirement plan...more
It doesn’t grow on trees, it’s not in the water (especially good bagels), and it doesn’t happen by accident. It didn’t happen overnight, it didn’t happen in a vacuum, and it certainly didn’t come out of thin air. A good...more
I ’ve always been a big fan of 1970’s cinema and one forgotten classic is The Sting, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Robert Shaw. The title to the movie refers to the exact moment when the con artist finishes the...more
I ’m a big fan of business history and every successful company that has ever been founded has had a few bumps along the way. For example, Apple almost went out of business a few times when products like the Newton didn’t...more
Life can be like a smorgasbord table at a wedding, too many choices, too little time. As a retirement plan sponsor choosing whether to sponsor a 401(k) plan or change a current one, there are too many choices that you don’t...more