Category Archives: wealth management

Plan Sponsor Alert: The Hidden Message in the #Northwestern403b Hearing

There were two issues properly before SCOTUS in the recent #Northwestern403b hearing: (1) the sufficiency of the plan participants’ complaint, and (2) the legal merits of the 7th Circuit’s rationale for dismissing the plan participants’ complaint, the “menu of options” … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, pension plans, prudence, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Really Smart Experts Measure AMVR: Blueprint for 401(k)/403(b) Litigation and Design

In a recent post, I wrote (1) that plan participants should never lose a properly vetted 401(k)/403(b) litigation action, and (2) a properly designed and maintained 401(k)/403(b) plan should should never lose a breach of fiduciary duties action based on … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, Cost_Efficiency, ERISA, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

3Q 2021 Top Ten 401(k) AMVR “Cheat Sheet”

When InvestSense prepares a forensic analysis for a 401(k)/403(b) pension plan, a trust, an attorney, or an institutional client, we always do an analysis over five and ten-year time periods to analyze the consistency of performance. Since so many social … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k investments, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, asset allocation, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, Cost_Efficiency, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, financial planning, prudence, retirement planning, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Game Changer-Why Hughes v. Northwestern University Matters

People constantly ask me why I am so fixated on the Hughes v. Northwestern University case (Northwestern403b). Simply put, SCOTUS’ decision in this case will have a significant impact on 401(k)/403(b) plan sponsors and every other investment fiduciary. The plan … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary standard, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Modern Portfolio Theory, the Prudent Investor Rule and Fiduciary Investing

Given the volatility of today’s stock market, the subject of fiduciary investing is a timely topic.  A fiduciary relationship creates the highest duty imposed by law, requiring that a fiduciary always put a client’s interests first and act solely on … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, DOL fiduciary rule, DOL fiduciary standard, ERISA, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary standard, prudence, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Plan Sponsor Special Report: 401(k) Fiduciary Liability Risk Management in a Post-Brotherston World

My firm, InvestSense, provides fiduciary oversight services to pension plans, trust, and other investment fiduciaries. One of the most requested services is a fiduciary audit, including a forensic fiduciary prudence analysis of the entity’s investments. After a recent audit, the … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 404c, 404c compliance, closet index funds, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

4Q 2019 AMVR Cost-Efficiency Analysis

I apologize for the delay in posting the 4Q 2019 AMVR Cost-Efficiency Analysis. I have been involved in a legal battle involving my investor advocacy/education blog, “CommonSense InvestSense.” Fortunately, the matter has been resolved and the blog is back online. … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, closet index funds, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, investment advisers, investments, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, RIA, RIA Compliance, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Petition Denied”: Fiduciary Investing After Brotherston

On January 13, 2020, SCOTUS officially denied Putnam Investment, LLC’s petition for writ of certiorari to review the First Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Brotherston v. Putnam Investments, LLC. The First Circuit had ruled that plan sponsors have the … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, closet index funds, clsoet index funds, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary standard, financial planning, investment advisers, investments, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Putnam Files Responsive Brief In Putnam Investments, LLC v. Brotherston

“This perverse and harmful holding has extraordinary consequences for the investment management industry, ERISA litigation, and ERISA plans as a whole.” In its rebuttal brief to the Solicitor General’s amicus brief, Putnam points out the  significance of Putnam Investments, LLC … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 403b, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, compliance, cost consciousness, cost efficient, cost-efficiency, ERISA, ERISA litigation, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, investment advisers, investments, pension plans, prudence, RIA, RIA Compliance, risk management, securities compliance, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment