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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: fiduciary liability
Closing Argument: Humble Arithmetic, Common Sense, and Fiduciary Liability vs. In-Plan Annuities
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – John Adams [C]onsistent with fiduciaries’ obligations to choose economically superior investments….[P]lan fiduciaries … Continue reading
Posted in ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary duties, fiduciary litigation, 401k, 401k plans, plan sponsor, plan sponsors, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability
Tagged 401k, 404c compliance, ERISA, fiduciary law, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary riskmanagement, plan sponsor
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ERISA 404(a) vs. NAIC Rule 275 -Wake-Up Call or Ticking Fiduciary Litigation/Liability Time Bomb for Plan Sponsors?
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® As a fiduciary risk management counsel, I’m often asked about my opinion as to the biggest risk management mistake plan sponsors make. To me, the answer is simple. The biggest and most … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 401klitigation, 404(a), Annuities, best interest, DOL, ERISA, ERISA litigation, ERISA litigation, fiduciary liability, ERISA litigation, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary duties, fiduciary litigation, 401k, 401k plans, plan sponsor, plan sponsors, fiduciary law, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, fiduciarylitigation, pension plans, plan sponsors, risk management
Tagged 401k compliance, 401k fiduciary, 401kplans, Annuities, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary risk management, investing, plan sponsor
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3 Things Prudent Plan Sponsors Must Understand About President’s Trump’s Executive Order and Fiduciary Risk Management
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® President recently released an excutive order requesting that the DOL and other relevant regulatory bodies create guidelines and other measures, including safe harbors, that would allow plans to offer unnecessarily risk investments, … Continue reading
Posted in ERISA litigation, fiduciary liability, ERISA litigation, fiduciary duty, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, fiduciary prudence
Tagged 401k, defined contribution, ERISA, ERISA litigation, Executive Order, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, fiduciary loyalty, fiduciary responsibility, finance, investing, personal-finance, retirement, retirement planning
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“And Their Beneficiaries”: Annuities, Commensurate Return, and Fiduciary Liability
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® ERISA Section 404a-1 provides as follows: 2550.404a-1 Investment duties. (a) In general. Sections 404(a)(1)(A) and 404(a)(1)(B) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA or the Act) provide, … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 401klitigation, 404(a), Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, Annuities, consumer protection, cost-efficiency, defined contribution, DOL, elderly investment fraud, ERISA, ERISA litigation, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary duties, fiduciary litigation, 401k, 401k plans, plan sponsor, plan sponsors, fiduciary law, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary standard, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement planning, retirement plans, risk management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k 401k plans, Annuities, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary riskmanagement, investing, investor protection, litigation, personal-finance, plansponsor, plansponsors, retirement, retirement planning
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May It Please the Court: Closing Argument on Palsgraf, Annuities, Commensurate Return and the Future of Fiduciary Litigation
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® May It Please the Court: In the landmark case of Palsgraf v. Long Island R.R.1, Judge Benjamin Cardozo held that “the risk reasonably to be perceived defines the duty to be obeyed.”2 … Continue reading
Plan Sponsor and RIA Alert: Navigating the 78(3) Fiduciary Liability “Gotcha”
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® During a recent deposition I asked the plan sponsor if he understood the requirement under the fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty. His answers were your basic ERISA 404(a) language. When he … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 401klitigation, 404(a), Annuities, compliance, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciarylitigation, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, RIA, RIA Compliance, RIA marketing, risk management
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k fiduciary, 401k litigation, 401k plans, Annuities, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary law, investment advisers, plan sponsors, RIA compliance, RIA marketing, RIA risk management
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A Question of Asymmetry and Fundamental Fairness: Observations and Comments from the Oral Arguments in Cunningham v. Cornell University
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® Listening to the recent oral arguments before SCOTUS in the Cunningham v. Cornell University case, I was both disappointed and encouraged by the questions and comments of some of the Justices. After … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 401k risk management, 401klitigation, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciarylitigation, pension plans, retirement plans, risk management, SCOTUS
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, defined contribution, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary risk management, plan sponsors, retirement plans
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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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Annuities are the Antithesis of Fiduciary Prudence
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® From a legal perspective, the lifetime income annuities being pitched for 401(k) and other types of retirement raise legitimate issues re potential fiduciary breach concerns. As a result, the question is why … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 401klitigation, 404c, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary liability, fiduciary prudence, fiduciarylitigation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 404c compliance, compliance, ERISA, ERISAlitigation, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, fiduciary loyalty, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, retirement plans
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Fudamental Unfairness: Sixth Circuit Decision Addresses the Premature Dismissal of ERISA Actions
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® Does the recent Sixth Circuit decision in Johnson v. Parker-Hannifin Corp.1 (Parker-Hannifin) indicate a posssible 2025 trend in fiduciary litigation in favor of plan participants? Parker-Hannifin revisits the issue of pleading plausibility … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, cost consciousness, 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, fiduciary standard, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement plans, SCOTUS
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, investorprotection, law, pension plans, pension-law, pensions, retirement plans
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