Policy & ERISA: archive
Every Policy & ERISA story in Retirement, newest first. 72 stories
1 story
EBRI prices the unused student-loan match at $20.2 billion
The brief shows the participation gap opens at enrollment and the balance gap peaks two decades later, which makes the sponsor's match threshold the only decision that matters.
1 story
The case for outside 401(k) advice ends at the login
Pontera's webinar with former EBSA chief Lisa Gomez makes the legal argument for participant-chosen advisers; Fidelity's December access cutoff shows who still controls the account.
1 story
Ex-EBSA chief says the law never barred 401(k) advice
A former assistant secretary of labor told a vendor-hosted panel that participant-chosen advisers are permitted — which leaves the gate where it always really was, in procurement.
1 story
A participant's paper request survives digital delivery
Groom Law guidance says the right to a paper copy covers any electronically furnished document and survives an employer's exemption from annual paper statements.
1 story
Counting the employer match changes the 401(k) fairness math
An ARA study that counts employer contributions and tax-deferred growth shifts the fairness fight from contribution limits to the match.
1 story
AT&T pension suit hits the delegation wall again
A magistrate's second dismissal recommendation in the $8.05 billion Athene annuity case turns on a single ERISA question: who selected the annuity provider?
1 story
PBGC rate reset cuts premium funding targets, raises late interest
August recalibration lowers variable-rate premium bases and sets late-payment interest at 7% through the fourth quarter.
2 stories
IRS gives rollovers a common form, a five-step standard
Notice 2026-49's voluntary framework gives plan administrators and recordkeepers a benchmark they'll be measured against.
Debt pushes retirement crisis fears to a record high
Eight in 10 Americans now see a retirement crisis, and the latest NIRS survey finds debt and housing costs have replaced the savings gap as the dominant threat to retirement security.
3 stories
Payroll vendors are the gatekeepers of the Trump Account
Large employers will need a payroll vendor contract for eligibility and enrollment before any Trump Account contribution reaches a worker.
GAO asks DOL to define retirement data privacy rules
A 31-provider audit finds marketing permissions and unspecified data-selling rules in plan privacy disclosures, and the GAO wants the Labor Department to set limits.
Middle-class savings are being outrun by debt, report finds
The median middle-class household has $64,000 in retirement accounts, and debt repayment outranks retirement saving as a financial priority.
1 story
DOL watchdog embeds with DOJ fraud center
The Labor Department's inspector general signed on to the National Fraud Detection Center, putting investigators alongside federal prosecutors in a shift from reactive referrals to embedded detection.
1 story
IRS proposal moves the deduction line on retroactive benefit increases
Proposed single-employer funding rules reach back into the closed plan year and settle where plan expenses sit in target normal cost.
1 story
Debt report prices Social Security rescue at $2.7 trillion
The Conference Board's scenarios make the benefit cut the default planning assumption; the transfer is the tail case.
1 story
11th Circuit revives Royal Caribbean TDF suit, eases benchmark test
The ruling lets ERISA plaintiffs plead imprudence without a matched benchmark, setting up a Supreme Court test of how specific the comparison must be.
5 stories
Mandatory contributions count against the Section 415 annual additions cap
Groom Law guidance puts mandatory employee contributions inside the Section 415 annual additions count.
Abuse-of-discretion review extends to plan investment suits
A deferential standard long applied to benefit denials now covers claims against 401(k) and ESOP fiduciaries, easing dismissals and making settlements less likely.
Treasury opens Saver's Match rulemaking, sets TrumpIRA.gov course
The federal match for low-income savers moves toward regulation as Treasury prepares its directory of eligible IRAs.
Judge revives 3M target-date suit on Fidelity benchmark
A Minnesota federal judge let prudence claims against 3M's target-date funds proceed, giving plaintiffs' lawyers a concrete test of what a meaningful benchmark looks like.
Employers get a $2,500 tax-free lane into a child's Trump Account
Proposed Treasury rules open a tax-free employer route, but the fee cap and small-business guidance are still unsettled.
6 stories
Finding a lost 401(k) now starts at Login.gov
A SECURE 2.0 search tool for lost 401(k)s and pensions is live. Whether it helps depends on passing Login.gov's identity check and what old employers actually reported.
Trump account proposal caps contributions and bars trustee steering
Employers get a dependent care-style playbook for tax-free Trump account contributions, with a single $2,500 cap per worker and a ban on steering money to a chosen custodian.
DOL proposes extending e-delivery rules to group health plans
Group health plan sponsors could gain the same electronic delivery path retirement plans have had since 2020.
EBSA bulletin resets ESOP enforcement priorities
ESOP fiduciaries and sponsors face a lighter enforcement climate, with an 'adequate consideration' rule still to come.
Final UBIT rules lock in the tax for retirement-plan investors in private funds
The IRS finalized the UBIT rules for retirement-plan stakes in debt-financed private funds, with a transition window that reaches back to 2018.
Treasury, IRS issue sample forms to speed electronic rollovers
The optional templates target the four-to-six-week delays that leave retirement money in transit and old accounts stranded.
5 stories
Americans want Social Security saved, even with benefit knowledge gaps
AARP finds near-universal support for protecting Social Security while disability and survivor benefits remain the least understood provisions.
Saver's Match guidance settles eligibility, leaves delivery open
Sponsors know who qualifies for the federal match; the open question is how the money reaches plans and IRAs.
IRS proposes employer-contribution rules for Trump Accounts
Proposed regulations tell employers how to contribute to Trump Accounts, and what the plan document must say.
Treasury, IRS propose electronic-first rollover standards
A voluntary rollover framework under SECURE 2.0 lays the groundwork for ending paper checks.
DOL's benchmark rule puts private markets to the test
The DOL's safe harbor for private assets in DC plans rests on a 'meaningful benchmark' that private markets have not produced.