September 28, 2012
--- The 401K Coach released the Fiduciary Advisor’s Rollover
Toolkit to provide a solution and formal process for financial advisers to offer
rollover IRA services. ---
The Department of Labor (DOL) Rollover Opinion, issued in
2005, was intended to curb potential abuses associated with cross-selling and
capturing rollovers. This guidance suggests that any rollover-related advice
from the adviser will trigger a prohibited transaction under the Employee
Retirement Income Act (ERISA), if the adviser already provides fiduciary advice
to the plan client, said Charlie Epstein, founder of the 401K Coach.
This is a concern for all advisers, Epstein said, since the
test for determining whether an adviser is a fiduciary for ERISA purposes is a
functional one. Any adviser that provides “accidental” plan fiduciary advice
will also be subject to the restrictions described in the DOL Rollover Opinion.
Fiduciary and non-fiduciary advisers are unsure about handling
rollover business, and there is confusion throughout the industry, according to
Epstein. “Advisers are prevented from providing ongoing sage and skillful
advice to participants seeking this professional assistance at their
distribution eligibility,” he said.
The 401k Coach Fiduciary Advisor’s Rollover Toolkit offers what
Epstein calls a bypass to the Rollover Opinion to make sure advisers provide
rollover services in a non-fiduciary capacity and that the process is
documented accurately.
Marcia Wagner, managing director of The Wagner Law Group,
collaborated on the creation of the toolkit. She has expertise in ERISA and
employee benefit issues, including qualified and nonqualified plans. “We
analyzed the DOL’s Rollover Opinion and the underlying Supreme Court case on
which it was based, and created important documents to help advisers,” Wagner
said.
The toolkit contains a white paper, procedural checklist and
other supporting documents for advisers to successfully provide rollover services
in an integral and non-fiduciary capacity. Also included is an audio interview of
Epstein and Wagner discussing the background on ERISA’s prohibited transaction
ruling, the DOL Rollover Opinion, impact on advisers and how they can implement
a prudent process for rollover services.
Epstein and Wagner will host a free 45-minute webcast on the topic on Tuesday, October 9, at 1 pm Eastern Time.
More information about the Fiduciary Advisor’s Rollover
Toolkit is at www.the401kcoach.com
Jill Cornfield