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Recent Posts
- Upon Further Review; The 3 X 3 Analysis That Shows Why Prudent Plan Sponsors Will Never Offer Annuities Within Their Plan
- 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
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Tag Archives: Fiduciary prudence
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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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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“Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak”: Annuities, Commensurate Return, and the Fiduciary Duty to Disclose
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® Fiduciary Duty to Coduct Independent Investigation and EvaluationThe courts have consistently held that plans have a fiduciary duty to conduct an independent and objective investigation and evaluation of the each investment included … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 403b, 404c, Annuities, best interest, compliance, consumer protection, defined contribution, ERISA, ERISA litigation, evidence based investing, fiduciary, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary duty, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, investments, pension plans, plan advisers, plan sponsors, prudence, retirement planning, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 404c compliance, compliance, fiducairy risk management, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, fiduciary loyalty, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, pension plans, retirement plans
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In-Plan Annuities and Fiduciary Risk Management: Guaranteed Income vs. Commensurate Return
James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP EmeritusTM, AWMA® A common question I am receiving is “What are the fiduciary liability issues with in-plan annuities?” A reccent LIMRA study found that plan sponsors are citing a desire to provide retirement income … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k risk management, Annuities, consumer protection, 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, pension plans, prudence, risk management
Tagged 401k, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, Fiduciary litigation, fiduciary loyalty, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, retirement plans, risk management
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Written Testimony of James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP Board Emeritus™, AWMA® before the DOL – July 10, 2024
InvestSense, LLC Testimony of James W. Watkins, III, J.D., CFP Board Emeritus™, AWMA® re QDIAs and Annuities as QDIAs In my practice, I often refer to as the “fiduciary responsibility trinity” (Trinity). The Trinity consists of the Tibble v. Edison International1 (Tibble … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, Annuities, consumer protection, cost consciousness, 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, investments, pension plans, prudence, retirement plans, risk management, wealth management
Tagged 401k compliance, Annuities, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, Fiduciary prudence, investor protection, QDIAs, retirement plans
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Fiduciary Prudence – Don’t Make the Process Harder Than It Is!
“Don’t make the process harder than it is.” – Jack Welch, former GE CEO When I meet with a prospective client, this is what I always tell them. Then I show them how their current plan is exposing them to … Continue reading
Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 401k litigation, 401k plan design, 401k plans, 401k risk management, 404c, 404c compliance, Active Management Value Ratio, AMVR, Annuities, asset allocation, compliance, consumer protection, cost consciousness, 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, risk management, securities compliance, wealth management, wealth preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k compliance, 404c compliance, compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, fiduciary liability, fiduciary oversight, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, investment advisers
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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 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 401k, 401k compliance, 401k fiduciary, 404c compliance, ERISA, fiduciary, fiduciary duty, fiduciary investing, fiduciary law, Fiduciary prudence, fiduciary responsibility, fiduciary risk management, fiduciary standard, retirement plans, Retirement Security Rule
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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 Prudent Investment Fiduciary Rules 
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