The Trump administration has rescinded (or signaled that it will replace) current guidance that was issued by the Biden administration’s DOL regarding (1) retirement plan investments in cryptocurrencies (and other digital...more
The landscape for retirement plan investments and fiduciary risks is shifting in the early part of the second Trump Administration, both due to changes in the administration’s policies and developments in the courts....more
On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion that has the potential to make it more difficult for defendants to have excess fee cases for 401(k) or 403(b) plans dismissed at an early stage of...more
The IRS and Treasury Department recently issued proposed regulations addressing the mandatory automatic enrollment provisions under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0). The proposed regulations generally adopt the...more
On January 10, 2025, the IRS and Treasury announced proposed regulations addressing catch-up contribution provisions under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) for 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and governmental 457(b)...more
Kilpatrick partner Sterling Perkinson and counsel San Parikh recently presented a CLE webinar for Strafford that focused on the 2024 Final Regulations and 2024 Proposed Regulations released on July 19, 2024, implementing the...more
The IRS has announced inflation-adjusted limits for retirement plans in Notice 2024-80. The 2025 retirement plan limits are summarized here....more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) made significant changes to the rules governing the correction of overpayments from employer sponsored retirement plans, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and defined benefit...more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) permits employers to match student loan payments made by employees under 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), or SIMPLE IRA plans in plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2024....more
As discussed in our prior alert, the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) added new exceptions to the 10% additional tax for emergency personal expense distributions and domestic abuse victim distributions. These new...more
Whether investment decisions for pension, 401(k), and other plans covered by ERISA should be influenced by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors has become a flashpoint and, unlike most ERISA issues, the...more
On December 20, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued Notice 2024-2, which provides guidance on some important provisions of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”). Notice 2024-2, is not comprehensive guidance...more
The IRS and the Department of the Treasury published a proposed regulation on November 27, 2023, clarifying certain points relating to the coverage of long-term part-time employees (“LTPTE”) in defined contribution plans...more
On November 3, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) published in the Federal Register its long-awaited proposed update to its “fiduciary rule” that defines when a person becomes a fiduciary to a retirement plan subject to...more
The IRS has announced inflation-adjusted limits for retirement plans in Notice 2023-75.
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Are mandatory arbitration provisions with class action waivers a solution to the onslaught of class action litigation against 401(k) plans in recent years? Some courts have enforced mandatory arbitration provisions in ERISA...more
Among the most challenging components of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) for plan sponsors is a requirement that any catch-up contributions for high wage earners can only be made on a Roth (after-tax) basis beginning...more
In a 2010 newsletter, the IRS announced that forfeitures under a 401(k) plan or other defined contribution plan must be promptly used and not allowed to accumulate over several years. In February, the IRS proposed...more
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”), like the original SECURE Act of 2019 (“SECURE 1.0”), made significant changes to the required minimum distribution (“RMD”) rules. The SECURE 2.0 changes generally allow for...more
While we are pleased to have you contact us by telephone, surface mail, electronic mail, or by facsimile transmission, contacting Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP or any of its attorneys does not create an attorney-client...more
On February 13, 2023, a federal district court in the Middle District of Florida invalidated the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) policy as to when advice provided by a financial institution or financial professional (“adviser”)...more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Secure 2.0 Act of 2022 (the “Secure 2.0 Act”) into law. The Secure Act 2.0 builds off of the Secure Act, the last major retirement plan legislation enacted at the end of 2019,...more
On December 19, 2022, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (“Act”), which includes retirement legislation called the “Secure 2.0 Act.” This proposed bill is very similar to...more
Department of Labor (“DOL”) Secretary Walsh recently announced final regulations in a blog post titled “Removing Barriers to Considering ESG Factors in Retirement Plan Investments.” While the rules open the door to more...more
On November 18, 2022, the DOL released proposed text for a revised Voluntary Fiduciary Correction (“VFC”) Program and related prohibited transaction exemption (“PTE”) 2002-51. The most significant aspect of the revised VFC...more