With contributions via employer programs not beginning until July 4, 2026 (IRS Notice 2025-68), sponsors who move quickly have a compressed window to design, test, and communicate the benefit. That compression creates both opportunity and risk.
Tag "ERISA"
Could Employer Matching On Trump Accounts Become The Next Fiduciary Recruiting Perk (And Liability)?
The Netflix Effect 401k retirement readiness problem may not come from bad markets, but from quiet disengagement. As automation pushes retirement saving into the background, readiness risks can grow unnoticed.
The S&P 500 looks diversified—until you see how few stocks actually drive the returns. As concentration rises, index construction itself is becoming a growing 401k fiduciary risk.
Viewed through that lens, a 401k Christmas wish list isn’t just about outcomes, but about predictability. A stable rulebook can make it easier to design, monitor, and maintain plans that work in practice as well as on paper.
Seasoned advisors caution plan sponsors not to confuse delegation with disappearance. Every fiduciary duty can be shared. None can be erased.
Risk capacity anchors 401k advice in hard data—income stability, net worth, liquidity, and retirement timeline. Unlike tolerance, which shifts with market moods, capacity reflects what participants can afford to lose, aligning with ERISA’s fiduciary duties.
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For fiduciaries, the comparison process must go deeper than surface-level performance. Yield is important, but transparency, diversification, and liquidity provisions matter just as much.
How can fiduciaries bridge the generational divide in 401k communication without inviting ERISA scrutiny? The strategies that follow may prove transformational.
401k New Year Opportunities
The calendar flipped to 2026, and with it came a fresh crop of 401k new year opportunities. Will this be the year 403(b) plans finally shed legacy costs, SECURE 2.0 provisions hit their stride, and markets remind participants that risk never really sleeps?