The question now on the mind of every 401k fiduciary: Will the DOL’s new rule increase my personal fiduciary liability?
FiduciaryNews asked several prominent independent investment advisers what they felt about the joint agency RFI. They revealed six major concerns every 401k fiduciary must consider regarding annuities.
Why wait until now to bring up the three-month old blog? The bigger question, however, remains, “How should a 401k fiduciary analyze mutual fund fees?”
Many feel the DOL rightly reversed earlier rules that allowed for too many potential conflicts-of-interest. But, will any new DOL guidelines only encourage a “cookie-cutter” approach, doing the investor more harm than good?
Sometimes something that appears too good to be true really is. Professionals have long known the potential pitfalls of ETFs. Only recently have these facts become more widely known. Don’t be surprised if, like a tube of toothpaste, squeezing one problem away only creates a bulge in a different problem.
SEC’s Mary Shapiro: “When it comes to 12b-1 fees, there is a need for more fundamental change than mere disclosure reforms and a name change.” FiduciaryNews’ exploration of this hot potato reveals a surprising misconception.
A typical 401k plan fiduciary has no doubt read about this new product. Fiduciary News goes deeper to reveal answers to some of the more critical questions the astute fiduciary might have about BrightScope’s Personal Fee Report.
2009 exposed a much deeper problem with Target Date Funds. Pitched as the be-all-and-end-all to 401k investors, these funds fell flat on their collective face as 2008’s down market exposed them as more sizzle than steak. Washington might help, but a knee-jerk reaction to 2008 is not a good solution at all.
With the decline of Modern Portfolio Theory as the default operative model, sophisticated investors seek the Holy Grail – the theoretical basis for determining when active will beat passive and when passive will be active. Has it now been found?
Readers Select Top Fiduciary Stories of 2009: #5 401k Plans Recover Significantly by Year-End
The market boomerang has allowed many 401k participants to recover most, though not quite all, of their losses. A recent study cites three primary factors for this recovery.