I’m not a fan of annuities, especially in 401(k) plans. Yet, it seems that the insurance industry got their say with the addition of annuities in the SECURE Act.

The SECURE Act includes three law additions that might expand the plan sponsors’ ability to offer annuities and other lifetime income products. First, it establishes an in-plan retirement income safe harbor that protects employers from litigation based on their selection of annuity providers. The SECURE Act also creates a new requirement that the Department of Labor (mandate and standardize the provision of recurring lifetime income projections for individual participants; and it institutes an in-plan annuity portability requirement, such that if an annuity offering is removed from a plan menu, participants must be allowed to roll that annuity investment into an IRA without penalty.

My concern is that bringing back annuities into 401(k) plans is only going to benefit the insurance industry.