As financial advisors adapt to the evolving investment landscape, the challenge of incorporating emerging assets like cryptocurrency into retirement plans becomes significant. While cryptocurrencies present growth opportunities, they also carry unique risks that can affect the financial security of participants. To navigate this complexity, fiduciary analysts can align cryptocurrency investment considerations with best practices in fiduciary investment management.
Reps. Seth Magaziner and Ron Estes have introduced the Unclaimed Retirement Rescue Plan, a bill that would authorize the DOL to regulate the transfer of unclaimed retirement distributions to state unclaimed property programs. If passed, the bill would allow, but not require, ERISA fiduciaries to transfer unclaimed balances after making efforts to contact the participant. Additionally, fiduciaries would be required to report the transfers to the DOL for inclusion in a Lost and Found database.
A deeper understanding of target-date strategies empowers asset managers to conduct better competitive analysis and deliver more differentiated offerings. Morningstar's 2025 Target-Date Fund Landscape report analyzes flows, fees, asset composition, top picks based on the Morningstar Medalist Rating, and more.
On September 15, 2025, the IRS released final regulations regarding catch-up contributions for 401k, 403b, and governmental 457b plans, in line with the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. These regulations outline provisions for "Super" Catch-Up Contributions and Mandatory Roth Catch-Up Contributions specifically for high-wage employees, aimed at participants aged 50 or older by the end of the year.
In August 2025, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at enhancing 401k participants' access to investment strategies that include alternative assets such as private equity, real estate, and digital assets. The order highlights the potential for these assets to provide competitive returns and diversification benefits, helping participants grow their retirement savings. Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling expressed optimism about the future of innovative retirement products that can offer increased returns, diversification, and security for American workers. This article explores the implications of this policy change for plan sponsors.
On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a unanimous and significant ruling in the case of Cunningham v. Cornell University, fundamentally altering the legal framework for retirement plan fiduciaries. If you play a role in managing your company's retirement plan, this decision goes beyond mere legal updates; it serves as a critical prompt to evaluate your plan's oversight methods and the quality of the advisory services you utilize.
Generally, retirement plans sponsored by companies with 100 or more participants are required to submit an independent audit report along with their annual Form 5500 filing. Furthermore, both the DOL and the IRS have the authority to audit retirement plans. Therefore, it is advisable for plan sponsors to always be prepared for an audit. This article provides tips on how to get ready, including what to anticipate when notified of an audit.
Retirement plans offer significant advantages to employees, but their administration can be quite complex. Even the most attentive plan sponsors can encounter errors. Since it's likely that mistakes will happen at some point during your retirement plan's duration, it's essential to have a strategy in place to effectively and promptly address any issues that arise.
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Collected Wisdom™
Our researchers look for what they think are some of the better resources available to assist you in administering your plan or helping your clients. We group these resources in our COLLECTED WISDOM™ topics to make it easy for you to locate the information you need. Each item in a category contains a summary and date of when it was placed in the group.
We also maintain some older material in these collections for perspective and context.
