Category Archives: 401k plans

A Fiduciary’s Guide to Annuities- “Why Go There?”

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® A [fiduciary] is held to something stricter than the morals of the market place.  Not honesty alone, but the punctilio of an honor the most sensitive, is the standard of behavior….1 Consistent … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 404c compliance, Annuities, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, elder law, elderly investment fraud, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement planning, retirement plans, wealth management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bugielski v. AT&T Services, Inc.: Another Key Case Toward Defining the Future of 401(k) Litigation

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® SCOTUS may soon have yet another ERISA-related case to review. AT&T Services, Inc. recently petitioned SCOTUS for a writ of certiorari to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Bugielski v. AT&T Services, … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, compliance, defined contribution, DOL, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prohibited transactions, retirement plans, SCOTUS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fiduciary Risk Management 101: Beware the Retirement Crisis “Okey Doke”

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA I recently received a call from the CEO of a corporation asking if I could meet with him. He said he had recently attended a conference where the major topics of discussion … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, Annuities, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fiduciary InvestSense: Connecting the Regulatory Dots

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® In Tibble v. Edison International,1 SCOTUS noted the reliance of courts on the common law of trusts in resolving fiduciary matters, stating that We have often noted that an ERISA fiduciary’s duty … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Avoiding the Annuity “Noise”: A Fiduciary Prudence Guide to Annuities

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® Last week I posted the following post online in X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn: There is no requirement, legal, moral, or otherwise, that requires plan sponsors to offer annuities or any other … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, Annuities, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, DOL, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, risk management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Devil Is In the Details: Monitoring and Updating an AMVR Analysis

By James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP Board Emeritus™, AWMA® The first quarter of 2024 produced an interesting situation, resulting in an opportunity to demonstrate both the value of the Active Management Value Ratio (AMVR) and its nuances. The Fidelity … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, closet index funds, compliance, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement planning, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Accident Waiting to Happen: Annuities, Spreads, and Fiduciary Liability

By James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP Board Emeritus™, AWMA® [A] fiduciary shall discharge that person’s duties with respect to the plan solely in the interests of the participants and beneficiaries; for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to participants … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Annuities, compliance, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thinking in Bets: Using Behavioral Psychology to Improve Fiduciary Prudence

By James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP Board Emeritus™, AWMA® My decision to transition into fiduciary risk management was based largely on my love of the law and psychology. My minor in college was psychology, with a focus on cognitive … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, Annuities, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, retirement plans, risk management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trust, But Verify: Protecting Against Investment Consultants’ Inherent Conflicts of Interest

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® The courts have consistently recognized the inherent conflict of interest that exists in the investment industry between investment advisers/consult and clients: “In this conflict of interest, the law wisely interposes. It acts … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, cost-efficiency, Cost_Efficiency, defined contribution, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, investment advisers, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, risk management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reading Between the Marketing Lines: Fiduciary Risk Management in the Face of Complexity and Conflicts-of-Interests

James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® Simplicity is the new sophistication. – Steve Jobs Complexity is job security. – Rick Ferri I recently conducted a fiduciary prudence audit for a 401(k) plan. During the review of my audit … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, cost consciousness, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, retirement plans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment