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Recent Posts
- The DOL’s Pizarro v. Home Depot Amicus Brief: Borzi and Gomez Don’t Live Here @ EBSA Anymore
- DOL’s Betrayal of American Workers Sends a Clear Message to American Workers: We Really Don’t Give a Damn About You!
- Implications of Section 78(3) of the Restatement (Third) of Trusts and the Expanding “Knew or Should Have Known” Liability Standard in the Era of AI
- Closing Argument: Humble Arithmetic, Common Sense, and Fiduciary Liability vs. In-Plan Annuities
- Closing Argument: Humble Arithmetic, Common Sense, and Fiduciary Responsibility vs. In-Plan Annuities
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Category Archives: cost efficient
2025 Fiduciary Litigation: Common Law + Common Sense?
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® Looking at the ERISA litigation landscape for 2025, I think there are three clear-cut cases that may shape the future of ERISA litigation and ERISA itself: the ongoing litigation in the Fifth … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 401klitigation, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, Annuities, consumer protection, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, DOL fiduciary rule, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciarylitigation, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, fiduciary, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibilities, fiduciary risk management, fiduciaryliability, retirement plans
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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 401k, Annuities, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary loyalty, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, retirement plans
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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 401k, 401k compliance, 401k fiduciary, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary oversight, fiduciary responsibilities, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciaryliability, fiduciarylitigation, fiduciaryprudence, investment advisers, retirement plans
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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 401k, 401k compliance, Annuities, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, investment advisers, pension plans, pensions, retirement plans
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The InvestSense Challenge for Plan Sponsors: Key Fiduciary Liability Risk Management Questions
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® I often hear or read plan sponsors and other investment fiduciaries describing how hard their jobs are, how difficult it is to select and monitor their plan’s investment options and avoid fiduciary … 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, AMVR, Annuities, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, Cost_Efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, financial planning, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement planning, retirement plans, RIA, RIA Compliance, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 404c compliance, Annuities, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary loyalty, fiduciary oversight, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciarylitigation, fiduciaryoversight, retirement plans
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“Knew or Should Have Known: Annuities, Plan Sponsors, and Fiduciary Law – Part 2
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® In Part 1 of “Knew or Should Have Known”: Annuities, Plan Sponsors, and Fiduciary Law,” I examined the basic structure of fiduciary law and some of the potential fiduciary liability issues posed … 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, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, Cost_Efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, 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, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, wealth management
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401klitigation, 404c compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary loyalty, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibilities, fiduciarylitigation, investment advisers, retirement plans, risk management
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“Knew or Should Have Known”: Annuities, Plan Sponsors, and Fiduciary Law – Part 1
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® For years, the annuity industry has attempted to gain greater access to plan participants’ accounts within 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans. The industry has tried to counter the fiduciary prohibition against the … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Annuities, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, 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, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, RIA, RIA Compliance, risk management, securities compliance, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 404c compliance, compliance, ERISA, fiducairy risk management, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciarylitigation, fiduciaryprudence, investment advisers, retirement plans
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3Q 2023 AMVR “Cheat Sheets”: Fiduciary Law Benchmarks That Really Matter
The six funds shown are six of the leading non-index funds that are consistently offered in U.S. domestic defined contribution plans. My development of the Active Management Value Ratio (AMVR) metric was originally based on the work of Nobel laureate … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, closet index funds, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k fiduciary, 401k litigation, 401klitigation, compliance, ERISA, fiducairy risk management, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibilities, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciaryliability, fiduciarylitigation, fiduciaryprudence, fiduciaryriskmanagement, plan sponsor, plan sponsors, retirement plans
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Making ERISA Meaningful: Common Sense, “Humble Arithmetic,” SCOTUS, and the Matney Case
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals finally issued its much-anticipated decision in Matney v. Briggs Gold of North America1 (Matney). As expected, the Court upheld the district court’s dismissal of the case. The good news is that the Tenth Circuit’s … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, 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, risk management, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 401k plans, 401k risk management, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, plansponsor, retirement plans
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Could the Matney and Home Depot Decisions Signal the End of the 401(k)/403(b) Litigation SNAFU? Are Plan Sponsors Really Ready?
By James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP Board Emeritus™, AWMA® People often ask me why I write and comment so much about the Matney case.1 As a fiduciary risk management counsel, my job is to monitor developments in fiduciary law … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, 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, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k fiduciary, compliance, ERISA, fiducairy risk management, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibilities, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, retirement plans
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