News & Analysis as of

Investment Employee Benefits Fiduciary

Ballard Spahr LLP

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

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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

Hall Benefits Law

Fifth Circuit Appears Skeptical of Invalidating ESG Rule Despite the Fall of Chevron

Hall Benefits Law on

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit panel appeared skeptical during oral arguments in which conservative states and Texas-based energy interests sought to reverse a district judge’s order upholding an environmental,...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Excessive Fees or Incessant Litigation – Time for Legislative and Employer Action on Retirement Plans!

Commonly referred to as "excessive fee" litigation, class actions that allege retirement plan investments charge too much and earn too little have increased over the past two decades. Excessive fee cases are difficult to...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

DOL Issues New Proposed Fiduciary Rule

On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (the "DOL") issued a new proposed rule pertaining to the definition of “fiduciary” under ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. If adopted, the proposed rule would...more

Foley Hoag LLP

DOL Eases Restrictions on Use of ESG Factors in Retirement Plan Investment Decisions

Foley Hoag LLP on

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued a final rule (the “Final Rule) addressing how ERISA fiduciaries may consider environmental, social and governmental (ESG) factors in making investment decisions for retirement...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

What Broker-Dealers Need to Know About Correcting PTE 2020-02 Mistakes

The DOL expanded its interpretation of fiduciary advice in the Preamble to PTE 2020-02 and as a result, many more broker-dealers and their registered representatives (investment professionals) are fiduciaries for their...more

Verrill

Department of Labor Guidance and Federal Initiatives Counsel a Wait-and-See Approach for 401(k) Plan Fiduciaries Interested in...

Verrill on

On March 10, 2022, the Department of Labor published Compliance Assistance Release 2022-01, 401(k) Plan Investments in “Cryptocurrencies”. The Release strongly discourages the addition of cryptocurrency (and other digital...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing for Retirement Plans: Where We’ve Been, and Where We Are Now

McDermott Will & Schulte on

Over the past year, the regulatory backdrop around environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has shifted. As McDermott Partner Brian J. Tiemann explains in these slides, the US Department of Labor (DOL) under the...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Forced Rollovers of Small Retirement Account Balances: What to Do with Missing Participants

When a participant experiences a distribution event (e.g., terminating service with the employer), and when the participant does not affirmatively elect to take the distribution, a plan document may require that an account...more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments Under ERISA

On November 13, 2020, the Department of Labor (the “Department” or the “DOL”) issued its final regulation entitled Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments (the “Final Regulation” or the “Final Rule”). The purpose of...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Attention ERISA Fiduciaries! DOL Now Requires Plan Investments Based Only on Pecuniary Factors

Many plan committees will be holding their Q4 meetings soon, and should begin reviewing compliance with recently issued final rules governing investments in plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act...more

K&L Gates LLP

DOL Issues Final "ESG" Rule; Focuses on "Pecuniary" Factors

K&L Gates LLP on

On 30 October 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final rule “Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments” (Final Rule). Although the proposed rule aimed to regulate environmental, social, and corporate...more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

DOL Proposes Rule to Crack Down on ESG

On June 23, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a proposed regulation (the “Proposed Rule”) defining plan fiduciaries’ duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) when considering...more

Stinson LLP

DOL Provides its View on Private Equity Investment Exposure in Defined Contribution Plans

Stinson LLP on

In a new information letter, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) concludes offering professionally managed asset allocation funds, which include a private equity component as an investment option in an individual account plan...more

Epstein Becker & Green

Benefits Guidance in the Time of COVID-19: Monitoring Retirement Plan Investments and Participant Communications

Epstein Becker & Green on

The COVID-19 global pandemic has created a multitude of business and workforce challenges for employers.  In addition to addressing organizational issues, employers that sponsor employee benefit plans and plan fiduciaries...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

More to Come from Department of Labor on ESG Factors? Executive Order, DOL Document Requests Suggest Yes

A hot topic in the world of money management, including the management of assets in retirement plans, is the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when evaluating investments....more

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