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
When I look ahead to 2026, I can’t help but think of Rocky Balboa. Not the invincible Rocky from Rocky III strutting around in silk robes, but the older one, in the later films, the guy who knows every punch is going to hurt...more
2025 has already been a roller coaster for plan sponsors—regulatory change, cybersecurity threats, shifting fiduciary standards. But—brace yourselves—2026 is going to test all the work you thought you had under control....more
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
Mergers are great when you’re talking about chocolate and peanut butter. But when you’re talking about merging 401(k) plan assets, it’s not always a smooth combination. Plan mergers, whether due to acquisitions, company...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
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 Pew reports that U.S. retirement assets crossed nearly $46 trillion in Q2 2025, it’s easy to be awed by scale. But what really caught my eye was their spotlight on the Saver’s Match, set to launch in 2027, and how it...more
We’ve all kept an eye on default rates creeping upward lately. But here’s what catches my attention: rising defaults don’t just affect participants, they test the backbone of a plan’s design, governance, and fiduciary...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
The Investment Company Institute reports that U.S. retirement assets bounced back in Q2 2025, setting record highs. That’s good news — but it’s also a reminder to stay sharp....more
The latest chapter in the wave of forfeiture reallocation lawsuits comes from Armenta v. WillScot / Mobile Mini. The good news: most of the claims were dismissed. The caution: one prudence claim survived, and the court gave...more
On this episode of Williams Mullen’s Benefits Companion, host Brydon DeWitt talks with Sarah Parker of SageView Advisory Group about the growing interest in private markets within defined contribution retirement plans. They...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
Let’s cut through the marketing fluff and look at what the 2025 T. Rowe Price Defined Contribution Consultant Study is really telling us, and more importantly, what it means for financial advisors who want to stay relevant,...more
On September 30, 2025, following a bench trial and earlier findings that American Airlines and its Employee Benefits Committee (“EBC”) breached ERISA’s duty of loyalty but not the duty of prudence, Judge Reed O’Connor of the...more
Just when you think the forfeiture reallocation litigation wave can’t get any bigger, another suit drops. The latest target? The 401(k) plan of RTX, the company formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corp....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
There’s an old saying I’ve always loved: Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. You don’t need to be a biblical scholar to understand that it’s just another way of saying arrogance will sink you....more
A recently filed proposed class action lawsuit against Molson Coors’ 401(k) plan fiduciaries highlights the importance for 401(k) plan fiduciaries to carefully select and continually monitor all 401(k) plan investment...more
Another excessive fee case is wrapping up, this time involving the $5.6 billion Northwell Health 403(b) Plan. After five years of motions, amendments, and appeals, the parties have agreed to a $2.75 million settlement....more
When most people think about ERISA lawsuits, the usual suspects are plan sponsors. They’re the fiduciaries who pick the investments, hire the service providers, and have the crosshairs on their backs when plaintiffs’ firms go...more
The Second Circuit recently made two rulings of interest to ERISA litigators and to fiduciaries of 401(k) or other defined contribution plans. In the first ruling, the court held that individual plan participants did not have...more