Let’s not just blame certification providers. Government agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcement are also responsible for market confusion and the dilution of the “fiduciary” standard.
Tag "ERISA"
The story arc of the 401k mimics that of software. Each release adds to and builds on features and benefits over and above those of previous releases.
Before you get all excited and look to replace your home equity loan with a 401k loan, you should consider these things.
Nobody’s perfect. It’s unfair to expect recordkeepers to be. Everyone makes mistakes—even recordkeepers. The problem is what happens when a mistake occurs.
Just as these changes come bearing down, so, too, does a need for greater hand holding. Pressures within the provider industry, however, appear to be reducing the number of available hands.
Today, in reading some of the headlines, you’d think they’re greater than sliced bread. They may be. They may not be. Still, there are differences, and 401k plans sponsors would benefit from practicing the utmost in due diligence when determining if CITs are the right fit for their plan.
If you’re a fiduciary of the acquiring plan, you want to make sure you’re not burdened with any unknown liabilities. If you’re a fiduciary of the acquired plan, you want to make sure the merger process doesn’t introduce new liabilities.
The conflicts-of-interest inherent in selecting proprietary funds are apparent. Less so are the criteria used to determine what a suitable process might be.
But that idea contained a flaw. In the early years, limited choices made it easy for employees. The proliferation of the number of options in later years, however, exposed the lack of sophistication within the employee cohort. That can lead to bad decision-making. Alternative solutions were needed.
How do we design and administer retirement plans?
