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Recent Posts
- Interpreting the DOL’s Amicus Brief and its Potential Impact on the Future of 401(k) Litigation
- Fiduciary InvestSense™: Annuities, Plan Sponsors, and Fiduciary Law
- The Active Expense Ratio: Fiduciary Risk Management’s “Little Secret”
- Common Sense and Fundamental Fairness: The Matney Case and the Future of 401(k)/403(b) Litigation
- 1Q 2023 AMVR “Cheat Sheets”: How Much Active Management Do Actively Managed Funds Really Provide?
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Category Archives: Reg BI
Brotherston Revisited: Will the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals “Fix” the Ongoing 401(k) SNAFU?
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” – Aldous Huxley In 2018, the First Circuit handed down its decision in Brotherston v. Putnam Investments, LLC.1 The decision is arguably the best analysis of the applicable fiduciary standards … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k plan design, 401k risk management, 403b, closet index funds, 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, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, Reg BI, retirement planning, retirement plans, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k litigation, 401k plans, compliance, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary risk management, investment advisers, retirement plans
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The Conversation Every 401(k) and 403(b) Plan Needs to Have: The Plan Sponsor Liability Circle™
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP®, AWMA® Whenever plan sponsors and plan advisers talk about 401(k) litigation, they always point the finger at those bad ‘ol ERISA plaintiff attorneys. Since I am one of those bad folks, I respectfully disagree … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, best interest, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan sponsors, prudence, Reg BI, retirement planning, retirement plans, risk management, securities compliance
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 401k risk management, 404c compliance, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, retirement plans, risk management
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An Inconvenient Truth: Cost-Inefficiency and Closet Indexing in 401(k) Plans
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” – Aldous Huxley The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent decision in the CommonSpirit Health (CommonSpirit)1 401(k) action has brought renewed attention to several key 401(k) compliance and fiduciary liability … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interest, closet index funds, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan sponsors, prudence, Reg BI, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 403b, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, investment advisers, plan participants, plansponsors, retirement plans
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“Meaningful Choices”: Cost-Efficiency, the CommonSpirit Health decision, and the Future of 401(k) Litigation
Recently, the Sixth Circuit handed down its decision in the Smith v. CommonSpirit Health (“CommonSpirit) 401(k) action.1 My immediate reaction was “hello again SCOTUS,” as once again we have inconsistent and irreconcilable rulings between two circuits involving ERISA litigation The … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interest, closet index funds, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan sponsors, prudence, Reg BI, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, compliance, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, investment advisers, plansponsors, retirement plans
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Caveat Fiduciarius: The Reg BI “Reasonably Available Alternatives”/ERISA “Fiduciary Prudence” Liability Trap
I am on record as saying that (a) ERISA plaintiff’s attorneys should never lose a properly vetted 401(k)/403(b) action, and (b) the amount of 401(k)/403(b) litigation is going to continue to increase. Those opinions are based on three trends within … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, best interest, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, Mutual funds, pension plans, plan sponsors, prudence, Reg BI, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 404c, 404c compliance, best interests, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, Fiduciary prudence, fiuciary responsibility, investment advisers, InvestSense, plan sponsors, Reg BI, retirement plans
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Non-Commission Annuities: The “New” Fiduciary Annuity Trap
“Equity abhors a windfall.” Fiduciary law is largely based on trust, agency and equity law, with an emphasis on fundamental fairness. Any situation in which a fiduciary benefits at a beneficiary’s expense is a potential breach of the fiduciary’s duties. … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, Annuities, compliance, consumer protection, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, investment advisers, prudence, Reg BI, RIA Compliance, RIA marketing, securities compliance, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, best interests, BICE, compliance, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, investment advisers, prudence, RIA compliance, RIA risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation
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Putnam Investments, LLC v. Brotherston: The End of “Business as Usual” for 401(k) Plans
Earlier this year I posted an article on this blog, “Putnam Investments, LLC v. Brotherston: Pivotal Point for 401(k)/403(b) Industries?” The article focused on the potential impact of the case regarding both the general operation of 401(k) plans and legal … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interest, closet index funds, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, pension plans, prudence, Reg BI, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investment analysis tools, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, suitability, wealth management
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“Fair Dealing”-The Key to Navigating the Suitability, Best Interest and Fiduciary Standards
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. – Albert Einstein With FINRA’s recent announcement that it will keep its suitability rule and … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interest, closet index funds, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, DOL fiduciary standard, ERISA, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary standard, pension plans, Reg BI, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interests, DOL fiduciary rule, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary standard, FINRA, investment analysis tools, pension plans, Reg BI, retirement plans, risk management, suitability, wealth management, wealth preservation
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“Think Different” – The Often Overlooked Key Fiduciary Liability “Gotcha” Question
What is the first thing you consider when selecting investments? There is a familiar saying in the investment industry – “amateur investors focus on investment returns; professional investors focus on investment risk. Studies have shown that three out of four … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, closet index funds, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, evidence based investing, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, pension plans, prudence, Reg BI, retirement plans, SEC, securities compliance, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, ERISA, evidence based investing, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, investment analysis tools, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, securities compliance, suitability, wealth management, wealth preservation
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The “Hidden” Message in Reg BI
Like many others, I was eager to review the final version of the SEC’s Reg BI. As an attorney, I was anxious to see whether “prudence” was still expressly set out in Reg BI’s Care Obligation. As many had predicted, … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interest, closet index funds, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, evidence based investing, fiduciary compliance, Fiduciary prudence, investment advisers, investments, Reg BI, SEC, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, best interests, evidence based investing, investment advisers, Reg BI, risk management, suitability, wealth management
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