News & Analysis as of

Fiduciary Duty Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Benefit Plan Sponsors

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Intel Wins: Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Anti-Private Equity Lawsuit

After six long years of litigation, Intel’s 401(k) plan design just got a big legal endorsement. A three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit dismissed a lawsuit filed by plan participants who claimed that including hedge funds...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Executive Order Calls for More Access to Retirement Plan Alternative Asset Investment Options

Holland & Knight LLP on

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

Verrill

Coming Soon to Your 401(k) Plan: Tontines and Other Exotic Investments!

Verrill on

Participants in 401(k) plans and other defined contribution retirement plans may soon have the opportunity to invest their plan accounts in a variety of high-risk and potentially high-return assets. Touted as an effort to...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Even If You’re Right, You Can Still Get Sued

There’s a hard truth about being a plan sponsor or a plan provider: you can be doing everything right and still get sued. That’s the world we live in—especially in the retirement plan space. You can dot every “i,” cross every...more

Mayer Brown

US Department of Labor Solicits Feedback and Provides Guidance to Smaller Employers on Pooled Employer Plans

Mayer Brown on

On July 28, 2025, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding the current usage and operations of pooled employer plans (PEPs), as well as obstacles that are discouraging smaller...more

Carlton Fields

Plan Sponsor and Asset Manager Considerations Under 401(k) Alternatives Executive Order

Carlton Fields on

On August 7, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors,” designed to open the use of alternative investments, including private equity and actively...more

Saul Ewing LLP

Navigating the New Normal: Top Employee Benefits Risks for Healthcare Employers in 2025

Saul Ewing LLP on

As the healthcare industry grapples with the impact of the 2025 Comprehensive Reform Act, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, offering benefits to its own employees continues to be both a tool for employee retention...more

Haynes Boone

DOL Approves the Use of Forfeitures to Offset Employer Contributions

Haynes Boone on

In a lawsuit currently under appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the court has been asked to decide whether the plan administrator violated its fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty under ERISA when...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The Forfeiture Fiasco: Why the DOL and Common Sense are on the Right Side of the HP Case

It’s not often you see the U.S. Department of Labor jumping into the legal ring to back plan sponsors, but when they do, you know something bigger is at stake than just one plan participant’s gripe. That’s exactly what...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Employers Continue to Face ERISA Tobacco Surcharge Lawsuits, With Mixed Results

Husch Blackwell LLP on

Recently, companies have seen a spate of class action lawsuits challenging the legality of tobacco cessation wellness programs and related tobacco surcharges imposed by their employer-sponsored health benefit plans....more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Misplaced Loyalty: When 401(k) Plan Sponsors Get It Wrong

When I worked at a third party administration (TPA) firm many years ago, I learned some valuable lessons, some about ERISA and some about human nature. I wasn’t exactly the favorite employee of the guy running the place....more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Forfeitures and Fiduciary Risk: What Plan Sponsors Need to Know Now

Forfeitures have long been a sleepy corner of 401(k) plan administration, but recent class-action lawsuits are waking everyone up....more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Plan Design That Works: Why 401(k) Participants Are Saving Smarter

Every once in a while, the data tells a story that plan sponsors should actually feel good about. Vanguard’s latest How America Saves report offers just that, a story of progress. Thanks to smarter plan design choices,...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Quick Tips for Plan Sponsors Who Want to Stay Out of Trouble

If you’re a 401(k) plan sponsor, you don’t need to be an ERISA expert—you just need to avoid doing dumb things. Here are a few quick tips to help you stay on the right side of your fiduciary duties and keep your participants...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

When Grey Wins: Natixis Beats ERISA Challenge with Process, Not Perfection

In the world of ERISA litigation, process often trumps perfection. That was the story in Waldner v. Natixis, where a federal judge dismissed claims that Natixis and its plan committee acted disloyally and imprudently by...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Harnessing AI Under ERISA: A Compliance and Oversight Guide for Retirement and Health Plan Fiduciaries

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

It is increasingly evident that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping all facets of business, and its impact on employee benefit plans is no exception. From automating plan administration to personalizing participant...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The Most Absurd Things About 401(k) Plans That Sponsors Have No Idea About

Fifteen years into my solo practice, you’d think I’d be desensitized to the absurdities of the 401(k) world. But no. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, a plan sponsor, or more accurately, the people advising them, reminds...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The 3 Cs: Why 401(k) Plan Sponsors Can’t Afford to Be Cheap, Controlling, and Clueless

After close to 30 years in this business—wearing the hats of TPA employee, ERISA attorney, plan document drafter, and occasional therapist to frantic plan sponsors—I’ve seen it all. The horror stories, the lawsuits, the...more

Goodwin

DOL Abandons ESG Rule in Investment Duties Regulation; Rescinds Cryptocurrency Guidance

Goodwin on

On May 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) took two major steps that signal a shift in its approach to fiduciary oversight under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA)....more

Hall Benefits Law

PBM Contracts Could Expose Plan Sponsors to Fiduciary Liability

Hall Benefits Law on

A plan sponsor’s fiduciary duty to be transparent in Pharmacy Benefit Manager contracts safeguards plan participants’ interests and mitigates the risk of litigation, regulatory penalties, and reputational harm, say Hall...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Why Fiduciary Training Should Be a Priority for Your Retirement Plan Committee

Bricker Graydon LLP on

If you serve on a retirement plan committee, you’ve taken on an important and legally significant role. As a fiduciary under the ERISA, you are personally liable for the decisions you make regarding the plan. That’s not a...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

10 Things Every 401(k) Plan Sponsor Should Be Doing To Stay On The Right Side Of ERISA

When you sponsor a 401(k) plan, you’re not just handing out a shiny benefit to help employees save for retirement. You’re stepping into a role that carries legal weight, personal responsibility, and—if you’re not careful—...more

Alston & Bird

Navigating the Complexities of VEBA Asset Reallocation: Comprehensive Tax and ERISA Fiduciary Considerations

Alston & Bird on

Our Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group discusses how employers can use voluntary employees’ beneficiary association (VEBA) asset reallocations while meeting ERISA fiduciary obligations....more

Fisher Phillips

Retirement Plan Fiduciaries Must Adjust to New Era of ERISA Litigation: How a Recent SCOTUS Ruling and $39M Jury Award Changed the...

Fisher Phillips on

A Supreme Court decision in April made it easier for plaintiffs to keep ERISA prohibited transaction claims in play longer, and just days later a rare ERISA trial resulted in a huge win for a class of 401(k) plan...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

New DOL/EBSA Opinion Letter Program Offers A Path to Clarity for Plan Sponsors

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

On June 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a significant expansion of its compliance assistance tools by launching an Opinion Letter Program across five key enforcement agencies, including the Employee...more

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