PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Private Markets, Public Plans: What Sponsors Need to Know
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - ERISA Forfeiture Litigation
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Understanding Lifetime Income Products
Coronavirus-Related Retirement Plan Distributions, MPPPs, and Governmental 401(a) Plans
CARES Act – Retirement Plan Distributions and Loans: Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton COVID-19 Issues for Employers Podcast Series
The SECURE Act: Significant Changes for Retirement Plans and IRAs
The Secure Act | How secure are you in your estate plan?
Podcast: Supreme Court May Resolve Key ERISA Statute of Limitations and Proprietary Fund Litigation Questions
The Corporate Law Report: First-to-File Patents, Hiring for Cultural Fit, Roth Conversions Post-Fiscal Cliff, and Global Corporate Insights
This year, there has been a continued increase in initiatives promoting an anti-ESG approach to investment selection and proxy voting for ERISA plans. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced in May that it will no longer...more
Each week while Congress is in session, our Policy team delivers a key update to highlight a topical benefits, health, or retirement news item from the Hill, such as a newly introduced bill, a summary of a committee hearing,...more
We are entering the home stretch of a memorable year. While benefits litigation may not be the first thing that comes to mind, it has been a very busy year for ERISA class actions, particularly for defined contribution plans...more
When I think of October, I think of pumpkin spice everything, sitting on the sidelines of my kids’ soccer games, football season and retirement plan corrections. ...more
On this Ropes & Gray podcast, benefits consulting principal David Kirchner is joined by Sharon Remmer, an ERISA and benefits partner, and Elliot Saavedra, a senior benefits consultant, to discuss the implications of President...more
When I first started my practice, I thought a 401(k) plan was just a plan document, a custodian, and some mutual funds. Over the years, I realized that the plan is like a baseball team—you can’t just put nine guys on the...more
In welcome news for plan sponsors and other fiduciaries considering lifetime income solutions for their defined contribution (“DC”) plans, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently issued Advisory Opinion 2025-04A (“AO”) to...more
Whenever I sit with a retirement plan committee, I can’t help but be reminded of my experiences with nonprofit boards — both as a member and as legal counsel. The dynamics are eerily similar. On paper, everyone is there for...more
The US Department of Labor recently issued an advisory opinion clarifying whether a managed account–based lifetime income offering could qualify as a qualified default investment alternative....more
A key component of retaining workers for Connecticut’s manufacturers is employee benefits. In addition to focusing on the business, manufacturers sponsoring benefit plans for their workers need to stay up-to-date of the...more
On September 23, 2025, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Advisory Opinion 2025-04A (the “Opinion”) to AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Manager”) relating to whether...more
An executive order seems to allow 401(k) and other defined contribution plans to offer cryptocurrency, gold and private equity but leaves in place fiduciary rules that are less permissive....more
Employer sponsored 401(k) investment menu offerings may be getting richer in diversified assets, including private equity, cryptocurrency, and other alternative asset investments, based upon a recent executive order signed by...more
More than 90 million Americans participate in employer-sponsored defined contribution plans like 401(k)s, which have traditionally been limited to conventional investments such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. However, the...more
Historically, investments in private funds have been reserved for large institutions, defined benefit pension plans, sovereign wealth funds and very wealthy individuals. In recent years, though, the notable difference in...more
A new Empower survey has made some waves in the retirement plan industry. According to their July 2025 survey, a striking 68% of advisors already use private market investments—things like private equity, private credit, and...more
On 7 August 2025, President Trump signed an executive order intended to modernize the 401(k) investment universe, directing the Secretary of Labor to clarify the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) position on fiduciary duties in...more
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) is once again carrying water for the annuity industry, this time urging the Department of Labor to retain a regulatory safe harbor that’s already obsolete. The safe harbor in question,...more
Department of Labor (DOL) watchers have experienced regulatory whiplash in recent years. During the Biden administration, for example, the DOL issued Compliance Assistance Release (CAR) No. 2022-01, which flouted its...more
On August 7, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order directing federal agencies to broaden retirement plan participants’ access to alternative assets—including cryptocurrency, private equity, private credit,...more
I t was 2001 when Aerosmith dropped Just Push Play, and while it was no Rocks or Toys in the Attic, it packed a punch. That title track? A distorted, energetic anthem about dropping the hesitation and just going forward. No...more
President Trump has issued an Executive Order (EO) that could reshape how alternative assets are treated in defined contribution retirement plans. The directive requires the Department of Labor (DOL) to revisit its past...more
The Trump administration is moving quickly to implement the president’s Aug. 7 executive order (EO) to expand retirement savers’ access to alternative investments in private markets through defined contribution (DC) plans,...more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (Order) aimed at easing the path for ERISA fiduciaries to make “alternative asset” investments available to participant-directed defined contribution plan...more
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.” The order seeks to clarify the obligations of Employee Retirement Income Security Act...more