Happy Friday, readers! We learned this week that the retirement plan advisory industry will have to wait even longer to see a Department of Labor Secretary first questioned and then either confirmed or denied by the U.S. Senate. You’ll likely have heard by now that President Trump’s first pick couldn’t get enough support to actually win the job—even from a Senate controlled by Republican allies—leading to a last-minute withdrawal for the nominee just before his confirmation hearings were set to start. Find below our initial coverage of the new nominee, Alex Acosta, along with the week’s other top news.
Days after the surprise withdrawal of Andrew Puzder as President Trump’s Labor Secretary nominee, the White House is now confirming their new pick for the job, former member of the National Labor Relations Board R. Alexander Acosta.
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A new Cogent Reports analysis explores the strong difference of opinion about the DOL fiduciary rule visible across different advisory market segments.
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Their concerns are that small businesses will be discouraged from offering retirement plans to employees, and that employees put into state-run plans will not have the protections of ERISA and will have limited control over their retirement savings.
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Confidence likely has more bearing than actual financial acumen on a worker’s ability to improve his or her financial situation, Mercer concludes from survey findings.
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OneDigital and Ascensus recently announced the availability of a ‘co-created small market solution,’ making OneDigital the latest adviser aggregator to launch a DC plan solution targeted at small businesses.
The district court ruling in the case, now backed by an appeals court, stands out for having been filed alongside a sanction declaring the plaintiff’s law firm Schlichter Bogard & Denton behaved “recklessly.”
During a conference call held to discuss the pending retirement of Bill Stromberg, CEO of T. Rowe Price, leaders at the firm highlighted the growing importance of socially responsible investing and the need to improve diversity and inclusion in financial services.
As health care costs rise, there is more overlap than ever between health decisions and financial decisions. So much is obvious to forward-thinking financial advisers, but what is less clear is where health care itself is heading in the 21st century.
