U.S. Legislative Tracking Chart — Retirement - Summary: This chart summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employer benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors. Located at: Towers Perrin , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Issues Final Default Regulations - Summary: This article sets forth a discussion of the PPAs provisions related to default investments, the basic framework of DOLs regulation, and a discussion of some of the more significant regulatory provisions and the problems identified by our clients. Located at: Groom Law Group, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Regulations Provide Clarity For Automatic Enrollment Programs - Summary: More Americans are funding their retirement benefits with their own savings by means of contributions to employer-provided retirement savings plans, such as plans established under Internal Revenue Code sections 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b). Located at: Groom Law Group, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Beware of Retiring Early: It May Be Trickier Than You Think - Summary: As baby boomers transit middle age, many are retiring early—and in many cases, they're using 72(t) procedures. It's easy to make costly mistakes—and advisors need to be on their guard, according to a new white paper. Located at: Financial-planning.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

A QDIA Decision Tree - Summary: This decision tree is for DC plans that allow participants to direct investments. It has been designed to help plan sponsors navigate the action that may be needed in response to the DOL QDIA regulations. Located at: Prudential Retirement , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Final Rules on Default Investments - Summary: Plan sponsors should review these rules to determine whether a change to the plan's default investment is prudent. Plan sponsors are not required to comply with these rules, but may choose to comply to receive the additional fiduciary protection offered by the safe harbor. Located at: Prudential Retirement , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

2007 Cumulative List of Changes in Plan Qualification Requirements - Summary: This notice contains the 2007 Cumulative List of Changes in Plan Qualification Requirements (2007 Cumulative List) described in section 4 of Rev. Proc. 2007-44, 2007-28 I.R.B. 54. Located at: Benefitslink.com , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Law Professor Comments on LaRue ERISA Case Oral Argument - Summary: The author comments, "The tenor of the questions from Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia suggests that some of the Justices are toying with the idea of requiring that all ERISA claims must be 'funneled' first through Section 502(a)(1)(B) as denial of benefits claims. This approach is problematic for multiple reasons." Located at: Workplace Prof Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Analysis of the Oral Transcript in the LaRue ERISA Case - Summary: The highly-anticipated ERISA case of LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Assoc. was argued in front of the Supreme Court recently. This is a case which will help define a 401k pension plan holder's right to sue plan administrators for breach of fiduciary duty. The author provides his analysis of the oral arguments. Located at: Workplace Prof Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

For Saver's Credit 2007: The Time Is Now - Summary: The Saver's Credit was made permanent in the Pension Protection Act. It is important that plan sponsors let their participants know about this significant benefit and communication is key. Located at: Profit Sharing/401k Council of America , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Most Employers Ease Company Stock Requirements - Summary: Going well beyond what federal law requires, many U.S. employers now allow 401k plan participants to sell matching contributions made in company stock immediately, according to a recent survey. Located at: Workforce.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Do Financial Literacy and Mistrust Affect 401k Participation? - Summary: Many researchers have explored why employees fail to participate in 401ks. Potential reasons include economic factors, such as insufficient income, as well as behavioral explanations, such as procrastination. Meanwhile, recent efforts to understand financial decision-making more broadly have focused on the role of financial literacy. Located at: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Can You Sue if Your 401k is Mishandled? - Summary: The US Supreme Court on Monday hears a case that will determine if individuals have redress under federal law if their savings plan is mismanaged. Located at: Christian Science Monitor, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Automatic Features Are Driving 401k Plan Participation - Summary: Automated retirement plan features such as automatic enrollment are driving 401k plan participation rates at U.S. companies, according to Diversified Investment Advisors, Inc.'s just released Report on Retirement Plans – 2007. Located at: 401khelpcenter.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

High Court to Hear Man's 401k Case - Summary: James LaRue says he lost $150,000 when his instructions to his employer on where to invest money in his retirement plan were ignored. Now the Supreme Court will decide whether a federal pension-protection law gives LaRue the right to sue to recover his losses. Located at: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

IRS Sets 401k Rules - Summary: Employers that want to add an automatic enrollment feature to their 401k plans and qualify for a safe harbor that exempts them from running a basic non-discrimination test now have new guidance on how to do this from the Internal Revenue Service. Located at: Financial Week, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Releases Revisions to Benefit Plan Disclosure Form - Summary: The U.S. Department of Labor has released final revisions to Form 5500, a document used by employee benefit plans to file the annual report required by ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. The revisions include changes to Schedule C on which plans report compensation paid to service providers. Located at: Investment Company Institute, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Retirement Benefits Considerations for Employers Operating in Puerto Rico - Summary: This is article is the first in a two-part series reviewing various employee benefit and employment-related matters regarding employers maintaining operations in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Critics Wary of Target-Date Funds Despite DOL Approval - Summary: Target-date funds got a huge boost from the Department of Labor's final regulation on qualified default options for defined-contribution plans with automatic enrollment. But industry observers say the investment structure of the funds is deeply flawed by their high exposure to stocks. Located at: Workforce.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Sample QDIA Notice - Summary: SunGard Relius has just release a sample notice intended to satisfy the notice requirement under the Qualified Default Investment Alternative (QDIA) regulations. Located at: SunGard Relius, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

LaRue Set for Oral Argument - Summary: LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Assoc., set for oral argument before the Supreme Court, involves a 401k plan participant who claims that the plan administrator failed to make certain investments that the participant had directed. Located at: Workplace Prof Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Mid-Year Changes to a Safe Harbor 401k Plan - Summary: ASPPA comments on mid-year modifications of the provisions of a Safe Harbor 401k Plan and makes recommendations. Located at: ASPPA , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Employees Endorse Automatic Enrollment - Summary: Ninety-eight percent of U.S. adults enrolled in an automatic 401k plan are glad that their companies offer the plan, reports a group of retirement experts. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Lump Sum or Annuity? - Summary: This search assess the lump-sum versus annuity payout choices made by retirement-age participants in two Fortune 500 defined benefit plans. Annuitization rates are generally low but rise with age. Also, in contrast to the inertia that typically characterizes participant behavior in retirement plans, many married participants work actively to "deannuitize"—to choose a DB lump sum over the federally mandated default of a joint-and-survivor annuity. Located at: Vanguard Center for Retirement Research , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Deere in the Headlights: An Update on the 401k Fee Litigation - Summary: In the suit filed against John Deere & Company, the court granted defendants' motions to dismiss. This article discusses the reasoning and suggests actions employers should consider to address fee-related fiduciary liability. Located at: Towers Perrin , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Proposed Regulations for Automatic Contribution Arrangements - Summary: This is a comprehensive overview of the proposed nondiscrimination safe harbor for 401k plans with an automatic contribution arrangement. Located at: Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Lessons Learned from Processing Determination Applications - Summary: As part of its review of a determination letter application package, the IRS performs an initial prescreening to ascertain whether the plan was properly restated to include the appropriate "Cumulative List of Changes in Plan Qualification Requirements." The prescreening process is finding that many problems and are listed here. Located at: IRS , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Boosting Retirement Savings With Unused Vacation Time Titillates, Vexes - Summary: While the notion of boosting retirement savings with abandoned vacation days occasionally garners the attention of the industry, scrutiny appears to be intensifying. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Pension Protection Act Marks One-Year Anniversary - Summary: Although only enacted just over a year ago, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 already has made a significant imprint on the retirement benefits landscape. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Retirement Debit Cards Sound Like a Nightmare - Summary: Many believe the idea of making it easier for retirement plan participants to borrow against their savings is borderline reprehensible given anemic employee savings. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Clarifying Employee Concerns About 401k Annuities - Summary: Some employees are reluctant to buy an annuity because they're unsure about how long they will live and wary about the durability of a lifetime promise. Indeed, participants may risk losing all or part of their guaranteed benefit if they leave their job, or if their employer drops the insurer, experts say. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

International Employee Benefits Trends - Summary: This inaugural edition of the MetLife Study of International Employee Benefits Trends reports on the results of our survey of both employers and employees across four countries that serve as a representative sample of different economic and workplace environments. Located at: MetLife, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

2007 Retirement Plan Trends - Summary: This report gives a picture of the ever-evolving trends in the retirement industry and their potential impact on retirement plan sponsors and their participants. It includes an annual review, report card, and forecast, and it also provides plan sponsors with helpful tips that serve to compare your plan with industry benchmarks. Located at: Principal Financial Group , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Obtains $20 Million Settlement Over Retirement Plan Fees - Summary: The settlement, if approved by the court, successfully resolves a department investigation concluding that Union Labor Life had used its authority over the separate account to unilaterally set its own compensation in violation of the ERISA. Located at: U.S. Department of Labor, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Labor Department Proposes Expansion of Class Exemption on Settlement of Litigation - Summary: The proposal would expand the categories of assets that can be accepted under the exemption to settle litigation with related parties, if the transaction is otherwise beneficial to the employee benefit plan. Located at: U.S. Department of Labor, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Recurring Deadlines for 401k Plans - Summary: This is a chart of notable 401k deadlines and was prepared by ASPPAs Government Affairs Committee. Many new notices are required under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Some or all may be relevant depending on a 401k plan's design and features. Located at: ASPPA , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

A Tepid Reception for Annuities as 401k Payouts - Summary: Although employers will soon have protection against being dragged into court on charges that they didn't select the ‘safest' annuity available doesn't mean that they'll now embrace annuities as a distribution option. Located at: Workforce.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

How do Immigrants Fare in Retirement? - Summary: The authors research suggest that although immigrant families may be financially better-off in the U.S. than in their native countries, they do enter retirement at a significant financial disadvantage relative to native born households with similar characteristics. Located at: University of Michigan Retirement Research Center , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Administrative/Procedural Implications of the QDIA Regulations - Summary: Instead of reviewing the new QDIA regulations, this article attempts to focus on the practical administrative/procedural steps plan sponsors should be thinking about. Located at: ERISA Diagnostics, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Building Investors' Retirement Nest Eggs - Summary: Rather than some vague calculation, 401k participants need specific numbers on how much they need to save depending on when they start saving. Located at: Employee Benefit News (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

2007 End of Year Plan Sponsor "To Do" Lists - Summary: This is a set of six "to do" lists of issues that may require plan sponsor attention before the end of 2007 or early in 2008, including 401k plans. Many of the action items are a result of the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Located at: Snell & Wilmer LLP , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Statement Guidance Recap - Summary: PPA Benefit Statements: A recap of where we are today or, other than awaiting for final guidance and model benefit statements, where do we stand at this point? Located at: McKay Hochman, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

QDIA Notice FAQs - Summary: This is a question and answer article related to QDIAs and the QDIA notice. Located at: McKay Hochman, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Automatic Enrollment Guidance - Summary: On November 7, 2007, the IRS released proposed regulations for automatic contribution arrangements. The regulations may be relied upon pending the issuance of final regulations. This article provides a detailed overview of the proposed regulations. Located at: McKay Hochman, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Regulations on Fiduciary Safe Harbor for QDIA - Summary: The DOL issued its final regulations implementing the fiduciary safe harbor for default investments, which was added to ERISA by the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The final regulations, published on October 24, 2007, finalize the proposed regulations released September 27, 2006 and consider the more than 120 public comments sent to the DOL. Located at: Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

AUDIO: PSCA QDIA Webinar Held on November 8, 2007 - Summary: Former Assistant Secretaries of Labor, PSCA's President, and PSCA Legal Counsel address recent DOL Final Regulation on Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIA). Located at: Profit Sharing/401k Council of America, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Prudent Practices for Fiduciary Advisers Under the PPA - Summary: Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, sponsors of qualified pension plans now have a safe harbor to provide specific investment advice for plan participants through "fiduciary advisers." The new rules will have a profound impact not just on retirement advisors, but on the entire investment industry. Located at: Journal of Financial Planning, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Worker Participation in Retirement Plans Dips - Summary: The percentage of all workers who participate in employment-based retirement accounts slipped to 39.7%, from 40.9% in 2005, the study from the nonpartisan Washington-based Employee Benefit Research Institute showed. Located at: Investmentnews.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Trends in Ownership of Mutual Funds - Summary: This annual Investment Company Institute survey of mutual fund ownership reveals that nearly 51 million U.S. households, or about 44 percent, own mutual funds. The survey also finds that 88 million individual investors own mutual funds. Located at: Investment Company Institute , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Form 5500 Regulatory Update - Summary: The Department of Labor's amendments to its regulations governing annual reporting and revisions to the Form 5500 forms and instructions are published in today's Federal Register. Contains links to copies of these documents. Located at: Groom Law Group, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Issues the Final QDIA Regulation - Summary: The PPA directed the DOL to issue regulations within six months defining the types of investments that will qualify as QDIAs. On October 24, 2007, over a year after a proposed regulation was published, the DOL issued the final regulation for QDIAs. This article is the first in a series that analyze the regulation. Located at: Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Sample Automatic Enrollment and Default Investment Notice - Summary: To aid plan sponsors in satisfying the requirements of the IRSs proposed regulations for the 2008 plan year – the first plan year that a plan may include a QACA or EACA – the IRS has posted this sample "Automatic Enrollment Notice" that satisfies notice requirements. Located at: IRS , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Changes in the 2009 Form 5500 Announced - Summary: The U.S. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. announced the publication of revisions to the Form 5500 annual return/report for plan year 2009, including a deferral for one year of the move to the wholly electronic filing system. Located at: U.S. Department of Labor, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

State and Local Pensions Are Different From Private Plans - Summary: This acticle identifies the key differences between employer-sponsored plans in the private and public sectors, and, in fact, the two worlds turn out to be quite different. Located at: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Individual Account Plans Show Continued Growth - Summary: Individual account plans, such as 401k plans and IRAs, have continued to increase their share of retirement assets, and this share is projected to grow, particularly for private-sector employees. Located at: CCH, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Using 401k for Mortgage Payment Can Worsen Plight - Summary: You're barely keeping up with the mortgage as it is. Now the interest rate on your adjustable-rate loan is about to reset. Way up. Casting about for a solution, your eyes fall upon your biggest pot of savings: your 401k. Should you go there? Located at: Baltimore Sun, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Notorious Law Firm Looking at First American 401k - Summary: One of the most notorious law firms in the country is setting its sights on Santa Ana-based title insurer First American Corp. New York-based Milberg Weiss LLP said on Tuesday it is looking into First American's 401k savings plan as a prelude to possibly suing the title insurer. Located at: Orange County Business Journal, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

A No-Match 401k: Still Worth It? - Summary: A Money magazine reader wants to know if he should go for a taxable account, since his employer won't match funds in a 401k. Money Magazine's Walter Updegrave says think again. Located at: CNNMoney.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Roth 401k Adoption, Enrollment Remain Anemic - Summary: Although legislative obstacles to Roth 401k plans have been cleared, employers and employees remain slow to embrace the plans, which allow employees to withdraw money tax free after making contributions with post-tax dollars. Located at: Investmentnews.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: A Response to Bloomberg's John Wasik - Summary: The author writes, "It seems to me that getting the employer 'out' of the 401k would have several immediate—and hugely detrimental—impacts to participants." Located at: Plansponsor.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

More 401k Fee Lawsuits Expected - Summary: Litigation has a huge potential effect on 401k plan executives: lawyers say plan sponsors are vulnerable to litigation if they haven't exercised adequate oversight of plan fees and expect service providers to be the target in the next wave of litigation. Located at: Pensions & Investments Online, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on Automatic Contribution Arrangements - Summary: Implementing automatic contributions in 401k plans (also commonly called automatic enrollment) is a popular way to increase participation, but in the past the risk of fiduciary liability for the default investment choices and other risks caused some plans to shy away from the design. Located at: Employee Benefits Institute of America, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Clear Participant 401k Fee Communication is Inevitable and Necessary - Summary: Participants in 401k plans deserve to know exactly how much of their money is paying for their funds and services. It's best for them and the retirement industry. Located at: 401khelpcenter.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Get Full Benefit of Saver's Credit - Summary: Low- and moderate-income workers can take steps now to save for retirement and earn a special tax credit in 2007 and the years ahead, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Located at: IRS, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Can The Plan Pay This Expense? - Summary: The answer is to this question is always . . . it depends. In this article the authors reviews the rules and then deal with a specific case of a fairly large controlled group of companies sponsoring a number of retirement plans. Located at: Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Failing to Adhere to Enrollment Form Designations - Summary: A service provider invested participant assets in the plan's default fund, rather than in the various funds selected by the participants. This "misdirection" of funds had been going on for a number of months. The plan trustee wanted advice on how to fix this problem. Located at: Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Fiduciary Relief for QDIAs - Immediate Attention Required - Summary: The final regulation affords fiduciary relief to plan fiduciaries for their default investment in a QDIA under a plan's automatic enrollment arrangement as well as other default investment events. The final regulation becomes effective on December 24, 2007, but plan fiduciaries should provide the initial notice to participants and beneficiaries by November 24, 2007. Located at: Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Methodology for Calculating Cost-of-Living Increases under § 415 - Summary: Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code provides for dollar limitations on benefits and contributions under qualified retirement plans. It also requires that the Commissioner annually adjust these limits for cost-of-living increases. This white paper deals with the methodology for calculating cost-of-Living increases. Located at: IRS , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

IRS Proposes Rules on Automatic Contribution Arrangements - Summary: The IRS has released proposed rules providing guidance on automatic enrollment arrangements in 401k cash-or-deferred arrangements (CODAs), 403b tax-sheltered annuities, or 457b governmental plans. Located at: IRS , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Helping Employers Automate Their 401k Plans - Summary: New website. By combining their resources and expertise, AARP, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Retirement Security Project (RSP) created this website to help employers automate their 401k plans. Located at: Retirementmadesimpler.org, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure Reviewed - Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held its first hearing on fee disclosure on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. Although there have been other hearings to date on fee disclosure, this is the first hearing in the committee that has jurisdiction over governmental 457 plans and the most extensive with a total of 15 witnesses. Three themes emerged in the testimony. Located at: ICMA-RC, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Puerto Rico Plans--Taxes on Lump-Sum Distributions Likely to be Reduced - Summary: A recently-introduced bill, Puerto Rico House Bill No. 3750 (HB 3750), would set a 10% tax rate on lump-sum distributions. This 10% rate would apply to all plans qualified in Puerto Rico, whether defined benefit or defined contribution, qualified only in P.R. or dual qualified, or funded with a P.R. trust or a U.S. trust, and regardless of whether they invest in P.R. property. Located at: BNAtax.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Fidelity Investments' Annual Report on the State of the 401k Industry - Summary: Building Futures VIII illuminates the magnitude of the challenge as well as the performance of the defined contribution system in confronting it. This eighth installment in the Building Futures series looks closely at the question of retirement readiness and the opportunities available to plan sponsors and service providers to enhance the workplace savings system. Located at: Fidelity Investments , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Gipson et al v. Wells Fargo Complaint - Summary: Wells Fargo is the latest financial corporation accused of self-dealing in selecting mutual funds for its 401k plan. Located at: ERISAClassActionWatch.com , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Fee-Disclosure Bills Cause Concern - Summary: The proposed legislation would trump the fee disclosure rules being considered by the Department of Labor. HR and pension organizations say the bills would increase liability, unnecessarily hike costs and could damage retirement security. Located at: Human Resource Executive Online (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Bill Allows 401k Funds For Homes - Summary: Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has submitted legislation allowing 401k participants who are 60 days late in meeting mortgage payments to withdraw up to $100,000 penalty-free, providing the money is restored to the retirement account by 2009. Located at: Institutional Investor (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Time for Employers to Cut Cord to 401k Plans - Summary: John Wasik thinks it's time for employers to spin off their 401k plans. "Employees can benefit from having 401k-style plans cleft from their employers because the programs would cease to be a black box of excessive middlemen and management expenses." Located at: Bloomberg, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Funds With Redemption Fees Can't be QDIAs - Summary: Mutual funds that charge redemption fees will not qualify as default investments under the Department of Labor's recently announced final rules. Located at: Investmentnews.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

New Options in 401ks - Summary: A new twist in retirement planning is taking hold: financial services companies are offering immediate annuities and longevity insurance—a deferred annuity—as an option in 401k plans. Located at: Investment Advisor Magazine, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: On Being a Leader and a Fiduciary - Summary: A great investment adviser should possess the characteristics of a great leader. At the same time, a great leader should possess an understanding of the fiduciary concepts of stewardship and covenant. Located at: Investmentnews.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Retirement Plan Options Expand - Summary: Pension plan providers become one-stop shops, offering defined-benefit services and defined-contribution options. That gives CFOs one less vendor to deal with. Located at: Financialweek.com (free registration may be required), November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Formula 401k for Education? - Summary: IBM planning to provide a 401k-type program whereby employees could contribute to an interest-bearing education account. The account, which would be supplemented by company-paid matches, would be used for any professional skill development not related to the employees' existing job. Located at: CFO.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Revisiting USERRA Requirements in ERISA Plan Documents - Summary: Author looks at a number of sources on USERRA including an interesting article which reviews USERRA requirements with the protections provided to pregnant women. The article provides a very good general review of USERRA as it applies to employee benefits. Located at: Pension Protection Act Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Ways & Means on 401k Fees - Summary: The author states, "I'm going to predict the House Ways & Means Committee will take a less stringent approach to 401k fee legislation than their colleagues on the House Education and Labor Committee." Located at: Workforce.com Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

The 401k Arms Race is Over - Summary: That's the expression that AllianceBernstein, the global asset management firm, uses to describe what 401k plan are all about now. Located at: Retirement Plan Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

COMMENTARY: Theory of Relativity - Summary: The author states, "Sooner or later...people are going to have a chance to realize that they are perhaps paying very different fees for what may well be, in every pertinent respect, identical services. And that's going to make for some very unsatisfied customers." Located at: Plansponsor Institute Blog, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

QJSA Elimination From Plan - Summary: Can the Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity (QJSA) provisions be eliminated at the time of restatement or by plan amendment? Located at: McKay Hochman, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Issues Final Default Investment Alternative Regulations - Summary: The DOL ultimately decided not to include stable value type funds as QDIAs. The DOL stated that investments made on behalf of participants who fail to provide investment direction ought to be long-term investments. This article also reviews other aspects of the regulations. Located at: Dechert LLP , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Ways and Means Hears Testimony on Appropriateness of Plan Fees - Summary: The House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing October 30 to determine whether workers' retirement savings are being eroded by excessive and unnecessary administrative and investment fees assessed by pension plan providers. Located at: Planadviser.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Issues Final Regulations on QDIAs - Summary: Although the final regulations contain substantially similar conditions and requirements as set out in the proposed regulations, sponsors and fiduciaries should review their policies and procedures to ensure that they meet all of the requirements, particularly with respect to capital preservation products. Located at: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Defeat on 401k Default Investments Seen as Having Limited Impact - Summary: The life insurance industry has lost its battle to retain stable value funds as qualified default investments in 401k plans. However, for a variety of reasons, including the addition of a liberal transition rule to the final regulation, the impact on the industry's competitiveness in the DC market is likely to be limited, according to industry officials. Located at: The National Underwriter Company, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Information That Sponsors and Participants Need to Understand 401k Plan Fees - Summary: Private Pensions: Information That Sponsors and Participants Need to Understand 401k Plan Fees, by Barbara D. Bovbjerg, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, Government Accountability Office, before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. Located at: Government Accountability Office , November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

DOL Issues Long-Awaited Guidance on DC Plan Default Investments - Summary: After much delay, the Department of Labor has issued final regulations setting forth the conditions for fiduciary relief when plan assets are invested in a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) in the absence of participant direction. Located at: Drinker Biddle, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Five Keys to Small Business Retirement Plans - Summary: Today's growing businesses have a tough time finding benefits providers willing and able to create a robust retirement plan around their often limited budgets and asset size. Located at: Producersweb.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

Retirement Plan Participation Drops Two Percentage Points - Summary: Participation in employment-based retirement plans fell about 2 percentage points in 2006 among workers with the strongest connection to the work force, according to a study published today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Located at: 401khelpcenter.com, November 2007. Click on headline for full article.

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