Brightscope Co-Founder Mike Alfred reveals a piece of good news for small 401k plans and makes a surprising comment on just how important a plan’s investment menu really is – or isn’t.
Tag "registered investment adviser"
Worried while Washington fiddles? These three vital questions might just help you determine if today’s DOL ruling will increase your personal fiduciary liability.
Contrary to popular press reports, economic theory clearly suggests paying high fees is justified. Here’s the cruel irony and the greatest danger posed by the myth of high mutual fund fees: by taking back some of the responsibility normally delegated to professional advisers, an active fiduciary may in reality take on a greater fiduciary liability.
Here’s an issue that can perplex even the most experienced ERISA/401k fiduciary: What’s the difference between a broker and a Registered Investment Adviser? More importantly, does the difference significantly raise the fiduciary liability for the typical fiduciary?
We don’t need more regulation to prevent future Madoffs, we just need common sense (and, perhaps, a tad bit more enforcement of existing regulations). Here are five straightforward rules fiduciaries can follow to avoid their own personal investment Waterloo.
You may be an ERISA/401k fiduciary and not know it. The first step to reducing your personal fiduciary liability it to fully understand under what conditions you may be acting as a fiduciary.
The 401k fiduciary typically searches for ways to reduce fiduciary liability. This can be done by hiring what the United States Department of Labor (DOL) terms “prudent experts,” particularly in the area of investments. The DOL permits a fiduciary to appoint, among others, a registered investment adviser to reduce personal fiduciary liability.
Top Fiduciary Stories in 2009
The topsy-turvy 2009 provided some of the biggest fiduciary stories in years. Which do you think rates as the most important?