PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - ERISA Forfeiture Litigation
ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - What the J&J Case Means for Plan Administrators
The No Surprises Act: A Cost Saving Opportunity for Employer Plan Sponsors
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - New Federal Rule Aims to Hold Investment Advisors to a Higher Standard
Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation: Getting Ready for 2024 – Top-Hat Plans — Special Edition Podcast
Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation: Getting Ready for 2024 - Health and Welfare Plan Developments — Special Edition Podcast
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Partial Plan Terminations
Podcast Episode 189: Adding Context to Compliance and Color To Your Legal Practice
#WorkforceWednesday: SECURE Act 2.0 - What 401(k) Plan Sponsors Need to Know - Employment Law This Week®
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Plan Administrators’ 2022 Year-End Checklist
An Inside Look as a Juror - FCRA Focus Podcast
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Multiemployer Plans
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Court Decisions Impacting Plan Sponsors and Fiduciaries
(A)ESOP's Fables - The Income and Estate Tax-Free ESOP
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - What Constitutes Plan Assets Under ERISA?
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Group Health Plan Service Provider Compensation Disclosure Requirements
Update and Discussion on Legal and Practical Issues
Welcome to 'Just Compensation'
#WorkforceWednesday: SCOTUS in Review, Biden Acts to Limit Non-Competes, NY HERO Act Model Safety Plans - Employment Law This Week®
Since I first saw Airplane! When I was 9, it was my favorite movie. I didn’t understand all the jokes at first, but my love for the film has only increased over time. The beauty of the movie is that it’s played as a straight...more
Federal court cases are a game, like chess. You file a complaint, you fight the inevitable motion to dismiss, and once you survive that, you either settle or take the chances with the case and see if the defendants settle...more
Many who work with defined contribution plan administrators and consult plan sponsors on their ERISA fiduciary duties have been carefully monitoring Disberry v. Employee Relations Committee of the Colgate-Palmolive Company...more
When people are sick, especially with debilitating illnesses or diseases, it’s natural for them to travel far and wide to get the best medi- cal coverage possible. People who are ill will try to find the best medical coverage...more
As an ERISA attorney, I always have an open phone policy with plan sponsors, financial advisors, accountants, TPAs, and other attorneys from around the country on questions they may have about their plan or a client’s...more
Two federal district courts in Texas have issued orders staying the implementation of the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2024 Fiduciary Rule (the Final Rule) and related prohibited transaction exemption amendments....more
As many of you know, I offer a Retirement Plan Tune-Up, a legal review for $750 that reviews the documentation, administration, costs, and the fiduciary process of a retirement plan....more
When I write about the need for plan sponsors to understand their responsibilities as plan fiduciaries and their potential liability if they ignore their duties, I hear the same complaints about my ideas. The complaint which...more
The case involves a dispute over the sponsorship and funding obligations for a pension plan formed by a Hospital Authority in Georgia. Our...more
What makes a good retirement plan financial advisor? Well, it takes attention to detail, an understanding of what the role to entails, and dedication to the client. In addition, what I find is the way a good financial advisor...more
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) turns 50 this year and I didn’t buy them a gift or a cake....more
One of the great things about my iPhone is the alarm that serves as my wake-up call, whether at home or on the road. When it comes to being a retirement plan sponsor, employers never had a wake-up call about their fiduciary...more
U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle, of the Eastern District of Texas, has frozen the new fiduciary rules, by issuing a preliminary injunction to freeze the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Retirement Security Rule, which is...more
I’m not very popular, never have been, and never will be. It’s probably my personality or just not wanting to go with the flow, but I’m not a popular guy. Ask my family, ask my former bosses. While I won’t win popularity...more
Employers utilizing class-based criteria to exclude employees from retirement plan participation face new issues and considerations following the adoption of the long-term part-time employee (LTPTE) rules in SECURE 1.0 and...more
Ihave tried Chromium Picolinate for the last 25 years and I didn’t think it makes me lose weight and that Vitamin C hasn’t stopped a cold. The same can be said about statin supplements that haven’t lowered my Cholesterol....more
Life is hard, so is being a 401(k) plan sponsor. It’s a challenging job and there are many ways you can limit those challenges. There are opportunities to make your life easier as a plan sponsor, but you need to know what it...more
What is old is new again. Experts at an ERISA Advisory Council hearing recommended that annuities should be part of a defined contribution plan’s default The council is a 15-member body that advises the Department of Labor...more
A federal judge in Northern California stated HP Inc. doesn’t violate the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by using forfeited 401(k) money to pay contributions it’s required to make to the plan, by dismissing a...more
As a solo ERISA attorney am try- ing to sift through the emails, robo calls, and LinkedIn invita- tions from people who are trying to sell me something. I’m a big fan of good marketing and most of what I see sucks. Whether...more
When I started my practice in 2010, the idea was that my content would create referral sources from advisors and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) using my articles to help retain and recruit plan sponsor clients....more
As someone who has been fired and has been fired, it’s never a pleasant experience. Even firing a gardener who wasn’t doing their job wasn’t fun for me. Yet, there are so many reasons why you have to fire your retirement plan...more
The backbone of a fiduciary’s duties is the written plan document: understanding the key terms and adhering to them provides a bulwark against fiduciary breach. ERISA Sections 402(a)(1) and 404(a)(1)(d) require that every...more
When people in the retirement industry ask me about my National ERISA practice, one question is whether I do any third-party administration (TPA) work. When asked, my line is always that I don’t “because I stick to what I...more
It doesn’t grow on trees, it’s not in the water (especially good bagels), and it doesn’t happen by accident. It didn’t happen overnight, it didn’t happen in a vacuum, and it certainly didn’t come out of thin air. A good...more