As economic news overshadows regulatory news, questions arise if the same political malaise eroding markets will soon also infect any possibility of moving forward with leveling the playing field on the regulatory front.
Tag "target date fund"
Trending topics this week explores whether a popular investment product is a ticking time bomb or the Holy Grail of investing and connects the dots to lament over the apparent loss of a true fiduciary standard.
Looks like reporters might be sensing they’ve written all they can about the fight for the fiduciary standard. And speaking of standards, guess what oldie but goodie pops up as trending this week?
For all the talk of the new definition of fiduciary and the fiduciary standard, an old favorite topic returned to trending this past week. Can you guess what it is? Here’s a hint: It impacts nearly every 401k and IRA investor.
In a week where the new Form ADV became official, we discovered it can increase fiduciary liability for 401k plan sponsors for the same reason it is supposed to help them. In the meantime, the fiduciary finger now points squarely at brokers alone, plus more news on pensions and Target Date Funds.
Just as the problems with Target Date Funds go mainstream, the GAO asks the DOL to look into disclosure rules that could torpedo annuities in 401k plans. Oh, and the House calls the SEC’s bluff.
This week sees more on the part of the BD industry trying to pit the DOL against the SEC, the revelation of an interesting “opt-out” feature in the new DOL financial definition that may invalidate the entire effort and a surprise response from the SEC.
This week was an important week for plan sponsors worried whether their 401k decision would come back to bite them. Yet, despite the media blather, one quote stands out as the ultimate truth. We’ve got it for you here.
This week say more positioning on the fiduciary standard, the return of the annuity debate, continued heckling of 401k plans and some important regulatory news.Target d
Fiduciary News Trending Topics for ERISA Plan Sponsors: Week Ending 8/12/11
With Congress in recess, the anti-fiduciary lobbyists have moved to major media outlets. Meanwhile, we’re continually discovering government regulation too often produces Rube Goldberg fiascos like target-date funds.