Once the regulatory gaps are acknowledged, the issue quickly shifts from theory to action. Plan sponsors are not just waiting for guidance. They are being forced to decide whether to engage with the Saver’s Match at all.
Tag "Jack Towarnicky"
Private equity inside a daily-valued, participant-directed plan introduces structural tension. Illiquid assets must coexist with participant liquidity expectations. Valuations must be estimated where markets do not exist. And governance must bridge that gap without introducing bias or delay.
Private equity investments raise a second layer of fiduciary difficulty because they are not simply harder to compare. They are also harder to value, harder to redeem, and harder to explain to participants who may assume daily-priced plan options operate under familiar public-market rules.
Could Employer Matching On Trump Accounts Become The Next Fiduciary Recruiting Perk (And Liability)?
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.
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.
When participants assume alignment without verification, problems remain hidden until they are too large to ignore. Misalignment doesn’t announce itself—it compounds quietly, year after year.
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?
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.
What The $955 Retirement Savings Headline Gets Wrong (And Why Fiduciaries Should Care)
The $955 retirement savings headline sparked national alarm, but fiduciaries must look beyond shock value to understand what the data truly reveals and how to respond.