News & Analysis as of

Investment Management 401k Investment

Troutman Pepper Locke

Retirement Revolution: Expanding Access to Private Credit in 401(k)s

Troutman Pepper Locke on

On August 7, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies, particularly the Department of Labor, to work on expanding access to alternative investments for participants in 401(k) and other...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Executive Order Seeks to Expand Access to Crypto and Private Investments in Defined-Contribution Plans

Ballard Spahr LLP on

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

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The problem with stock market volatility

I have experienced several bear markets as an ERISA attorney, and it’s never easy, especially with the current volatility due to tariffs....more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The Intangibles You Need To Succeed In The 401(k) Business

The most disappointing part of going to law school was the lack of practicality. Sure, it helps you think like a lawyer and teach you the basics of the law, it never helped with becoming a successful lawyer or how to draw a...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Managed Accounts have room to grow

Sponsors of 401(k) plans are increasingly recognizing the need to provide personalized investment options for their participants; however, access to managed accounts still remains limited....more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

You can’t sell Betamax in a VHS World

A plan provider once asked me if I had written a comprehensive article on why trustee-directed 401(k) plans are superior to participant-directed plans. Although I believe in this argument, I haven’t actually written such an...more

Miller Canfield

American Airlines Breaches Fiduciary Duty of Loyalty with BlackRock ESG Funds in 401(k) Plans

Miller Canfield on

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

Ropes & Gray LLP

Practical Takeaways from Spence v. American Airlines, Inc. for ERISA Plan Fiduciaries

Ropes & Gray LLP on

On January 10, 2025, Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued a much-anticipated ruling in Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., which marks the first time that a federal judge has written an on-the-merits...more

Mintz

Federal Court Rules ESG-Guided Investing of 401(k) Plan Is a Breach of Fiduciary Duty

Mintz on

Following a bench trial, Judge O'Connor (N.D. Tex.) held that “that Defendants breached their fiduciary duty by failing to loyally act solely in the retirement plan's best financial interests by allowing their corporate...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

DOL Expands Investment Advice Subject to Fiduciary Liability

Following previous failed attempts to expand the fiduciary liability of financial services providers, the DOL released a new rule that broadens the definition of “fiduciary” under ERISA. The new rule is expected to face...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

TRICK-or-TREAT? DOL Proposes Spooky New “Retirement Security Rule” That Would Expand the Scope of Fiduciary “Investment Advice”

Responding to the “terrifying” reality that conflicted investment advice is costing retirement savers billions of dollars each year, on October 31, 2023, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued proposed rules representing its...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Another 401(k) Plan Fiduciary Defeats Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims at Trial

Following a bench trial in a Pennsylvania federal district court in Nunez v. B. Braun Medical, Inc., 401(k) plan fiduciaries defeated a lawsuit alleging that the fiduciaries imprudently managed and paid excessive...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Senator wants crypto option, good luck

As Bitcoin starts inching back up, I’m in the black again and expect more clamor for crypto options in 401(k) plans. Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, reintroduced legislation to create a law, the Financial Freedom Act...more

Verrill

Next Steps for Making Collective Investment Trusts Available to More Retirement Plans

Verrill on

Collective investment trusts (“CITs”) have become an increasingly popular choice for 401(k) plan investment menus over the past decade, consistent with a trend toward lower-cost investment options that has been driven, in...more

Verrill

ERISA Section 404(c) Protection: A Refresher for Fiduciaries

Verrill on

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) imposes both (i) significant responsibilities on fiduciaries of participant-directed individual account plans, including 401(k) plans, and (ii) personal liability for...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

Protecting Your Retirement Savings from a Market Crash

Markets have been unstable for months, causing investors to be on edge with good reason. Already this year, the stock market has fallen and wiped out over $3 trillion in retirement savings....more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

DOL Statement on Private Equity Investment Emphasizes Fiduciary Responsibility

On December 21, 2021, the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) published a Supplemental Statement (the “Supplemental Statement”) to its June 3, 2020 Information Letter (the “2020 Letter”) addressing fiduciary considerations for...more

Carlton Fields

DOL Warms Up to Private Equity in 401(k) Plans

Carlton Fields on

On June 3, 2020, the Department of Labor provided valuable insights via an information letter addressing private equity investment (PEI) within defined contribution retirement plans (such as 401(k) plans). ...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The problem with ESG funds

Over the last 10 years, more and more plan sponsors have opted for environmental and social mutual funds. The problem with these funds is fiduciary concerns since a fiduciary should strive for better performance for their...more

Burr & Forman

DOL Cracks Open the Door for Private Equity in 401(k) Plans

Burr & Forman on

The U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) recently released an information letter that concludes, if certain conditions are met, a plan fiduciary will not violate his fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income...more

Morgan Lewis

Recent Developments in ERISA Plan Investment Regulation

Morgan Lewis on

The US Department of Labor has issued guidance on private equity in 401(k) plan designated investment alternatives and a proposed regulation on environmental, social, and governance investing....more

McGuireWoods LLP

Private Equity Investing in 401k Plans

McGuireWoods LLP on

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued an information letter under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) making it clear that fiduciaries of defined contribution plans — e.g., 401(k) plans — may prudently...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

DOL Information Letter Outlines Fiduciary Considerations for Including Private Equity Allocations in Defined Contribution Plan...

On June 3, 2020, the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) published an Information Letter confirming that investment options under a defined contribution plan (e.g., a 401(k) or 403(b) plan) may include a limited allocation to...more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

Department of Labor Guidance on Private Equity Adds Flexibility for Defined Contribution Plans

On June 3, 2020, the Department of Labor (“Department”) issued an Information Letter that, for the first time, provides the Department’s views on the use of private equity investments within 401(k) and other defined...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Department of Labor OKs Automatic Rollover Into New Employer's Retirement Plan

Ballard Spahr LLP on

The Department of Labor (DOL) made it easier to consolidate small retirement account balances with a prior employer into a new employer’s plan, now without the direct involvement of the participant....more

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