5 Key Takeaways | IRS Final RMD Rules & Proposed Regulations to Address SECURE 2.0 Act Issues
5 Key Takeaways | Establishing Tax Qualified Retirement Plans
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Millennials, Boomers and Retirement Planning
CARES Act – Retirement Plan Distributions and Loans: Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton COVID-19 Issues for Employers Podcast Series
COVID-19 Estate News: Five Important Takeaways from the CARES Act that Affect Your Estate
The SECURE Act: Significant Changes for Retirement Plans and IRAs
The Secure Act | How secure are you in your estate plan?
The SECURE Act: How This Brand New Law Affects Your Retirement Accounts
Asset Protection 101: Are You and Your Family Protected from Litigation, Creditors, and Divorce?
IRA News: Beware, the IRS May be Your New Biggest Beneficiary
Impact of Tax Reform on Charitable Giving
Bill on Bankruptcy: Lawyers Easily Make Simple Words Complicated
Key Takeaways - FINRA’s 2025 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report 2025-annual-regulatory-oversight-report.pdf included a focus on issues related to retirees and senior investors. - The Report provides guidance to...more
The SEC’s Division of Examinations issued its 2025 Exam Priorities a few months ago. 2025-exam-priorities.pdf Many articles have been written about those priorities, but none—at least that I have seen—have addressed the focus...more
In August 2022, the United States (U.S.) Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”), landmark legislation that modified and extended the longstanding 30% investment tax credit (ITC) for solar photovoltaic...more
This article was originally published on Kitces.com, on May 15, 2024, and is available at at DoL’s Retirement Security Rule & PTE 2020-02 Amendment: What Advisers Need to Know Now about Giving Rollover Advice After September...more
On April 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) finalized a collection of regulatory changes in its ongoing quest to update the definition of a “fiduciary” under ERISA and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code...more
On April 23, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finalized its latest effort to change the rules for determining who a fiduciary is under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). Called the...more
Over strenuous objection from some members of the financial services industry and some members of Congress, on April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final rule (the Final Rule) defining what it means to...more
Broker-dealers and their registered representatives (advisors) providing services to private sector tax-qualified and ERISA-governed retirement plans, participants in those plans and IRA owners (collectively, Retirement...more
The new “retirement security rule” package, issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) on October 31, 2023, is the latest chapter in an almost 15-year effort by the DOL to amend the five-part test in its 1975...more
The US Department of Labor has released its package of proposed changes to the regulation defining nondiscretionary fiduciary advice and to the exemptions for conflicts and compensation for investment recommendations to...more
The Department of Labor’s proposed fiduciary “package” includes a new definition of nondiscretionary fiduciary investment advice. In overturning the Obama-era fiduciary regulation, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said...more
The SEC Division of Examinations recently released its 2024 Examination Priorities (2024-exam-priorities.pdf (sec.gov)). While the Priorities cover a range issues, this article focuses on the Priorities that could impact...more
The September Monthly Minute reports on the IRS’ new amendment extension deadline with respect to coronavirus-related distributions and qualified disaster distributions, a recent $131.8 million settlement stemming from...more
The DOL’s prohibited transaction exemption (PTE) 2020-02 (Improving Investment Advice for Workers & Retirees), allows broker-dealers and their registered representatives (advisors) to receive conflicted compensation resulting...more
This series focuses on the DOL’s new fiduciary “rule”, which was effective on February 16. This, and the next several, articles look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) issued by the DOL to explain the fiduciary...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2021-02 to further delay enforcement of Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 (PTE 2020-02), which sets forth several requirements that financial...more
The Department of Labor’s “Fiduciary Rule,” PTE 2020-02: The FAQs - This series focuses on the DOL’s new fiduciary “rule”, which was effective on February 16. This, and the next several, articles look at the Frequently...more
The DOL’s new fiduciary “rule” became effective on February 16, 2021. The rule is a combination of a new and expansive definition of fiduciary advice (and status) and an exemption from the prohibitions of ERISA and the...more
In this second blog post on the House Ways and Means Tax proposals, we address the proposed changes that will affect the taxation of trusts, estates, and retirement plans. As we discussed, on September 13, 2021, the...more
On December 18, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) adopted PTE 2020-02 Improving Investment Advice for Workers & Retirees (“PTE 2020-02”), a new prohibited transaction exemption related to fiduciary investment advice...more
Overview: In general, the prohibited transaction rules (in ERISA and the Tax Code) (1) prohibit fiduciaries that provide investment advice to plans subject to Title I of ERISA (including 401(k) plans, pension plans and...more
Do you know who is directing the investment of your retirement plan account? On April 13, 2021, The Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor has issued guidance for employees who are...more
The Department of Labor’s Prohibited Transaction Exemption and Its Impact on Recommendations to Plans, Participants and IRAs (Part 8) - On February 16, 2021, the DOL’s prohibited transaction exemption (PTE) 2020-02 became...more
The short answer to this question is yes, but (and there almost always seems to be a "but") doing so could result in taxes and penalties if the investment is deemed a "prohibited transaction."...more