PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - ERISA Forfeiture Litigation
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Understanding Lifetime Income Products
Coronavirus-Related Retirement Plan Distributions, MPPPs, and Governmental 401(a) Plans
CARES Act – Retirement Plan Distributions and Loans: Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton COVID-19 Issues for Employers Podcast Series
The SECURE Act: Significant Changes for Retirement Plans and IRAs
The Secure Act | How secure are you in your estate plan?
Podcast: Supreme Court May Resolve Key ERISA Statute of Limitations and Proprietary Fund Litigation Questions
The Corporate Law Report: First-to-File Patents, Hiring for Cultural Fit, Roth Conversions Post-Fiscal Cliff, and Global Corporate Insights
More than 90 million Americans participate in employer-sponsored defined contribution plans like 401(k)s, which have traditionally been limited to conventional investments such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. However, the...more
Department of Labor (DOL) watchers have experienced regulatory whiplash in recent years. During the Biden administration, for example, the DOL issued Compliance Assistance Release (CAR) No. 2022-01, which flouted its...more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (the “Order”) designed to increase access to investment in certain Alternative Assets (defined below), including private equity, through Internal Revenue Code...more
President Donald Trump on Aug. 7, 2025, signed an executive order (EO), "Democratizing Access for 401(k) Investors," and published a related fact sheet. The EO expresses the policy of the Trump Administration that "every...more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order (the Order) instructing federal agencies to expand access to alternative asset investments for participants in defined-contribution retirement plans such as 401(k)...more
Our Investment Funds Team breaks down a new Executive Order signed by President Trump intended to expand access for 401(k) plans to invest in private equity, cryptocurrency, and other alternative assets....more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (the “Order”) aiming to facilitate the use of alternative investment assets, such as private equity, real estate, venture capital, digital assets, and hedge funds,...more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order entitled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors” (the “Executive Order”),1 requiring the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the Securities...more
There is a growing interest from the retirement industry and policymakers to modernize 401(k) and other defined contribution (“DC”) plan investments by incorporating alternative asset classes and lifetime income features. ...more
Autumn Budget 2024: bringing pensions into the scope of IHT - The Chancellor announced in her Budget Speech that from April 6, 2027, unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within a member’s estate for...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced the cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits for various employer-sponsored retirement and welfare plans for 2024. Certain health and welfare plan limits...more
The US Senate on March 6 passed the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021 (EPPRA) as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (H.R. 1319), the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package. ...more
On October 26, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated various dollar limitations that apply to tax-qualified retirement plans for 2021. The new amounts, published in Notice 2020-79, are annually adjusted for cost of...more
The IRS has announced the 2021 annual dollar limitations for retirement plans based on the applicable cost-of-living adjustment guidelines. The annual limit for elective deferrals to 401(k) plans and 403(b) plans will remain...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Many of the limitations that apply to tax-qualified plans, including 401(k) and 403(b) plans, are subject to cost-of-living increases. The IRS just announced the 2021 limits. The annual employee salary...more
Updated Safe Harbor Special Tax Notice (402(f) notice) & Lifetime Income Illustrations – Five Key Points for Plan Fiduciaries - The IRS has updated its safe harbor Special Tax Notice required to be provided to plan...more
Among the many claims brought by plaintiffs challenging investment offerings in defined contribution plans is the claim that plans should offer stable value funds in lieu of more conservative capital preservation funds, such...more
On June 19, the IRS issued Notice 2020-50. It expounds on the rules for in-service withdrawals and participant loans for defined contribution (DC) plans for participants adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The...more
The Internal Revenue Service has relaxed spousal notarization and plan representative witness requirements in 2020 for retirement plan elections in IRS Notice 2020-42. The notice addresses the physical presence requirement...more
In EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01, “Guidance and Relief for employee Benefit Plans Due to COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Outbreak” ( “Notice”), the DOL provided sponsors of defined contribution plans subject to ERISA...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) expanded the temporary relief for frozen defined benefit plans to include nondiscrimination requirements relating to benefits, rights and features, available for plan years beginning before...more
The IRS has announced the 2020 annual dollar limitations for retirement plans based on the applicable cost-of-living adjustment guidelines. The annual limit for elective deferrals to 401(k) and 403(b) plans will increase from...more
The Internal Revenue Service released the cost-of-living adjusted qualified retirement plan limitations effective January 1, 2020. For ease of reference and comparison to prior years, we have placed the adjusted limitations...more
On November 6, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2019-59, which sets forth the 2020 cost-of-living adjustments affecting dollar limits on benefits and contributions for qualified retirement plans. The...more
On November 27, 2017, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that it is adjusting the maximum earnings subject to the Social Security tax for 2018 to $128,400. As we have previously posted, the SSA had announced...more