PLANADVISERdash – November 3, 2021

Weekday news and analysis for retirement plan advisers

Wednesday, November 03, 2021

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2021 PRACTICE PROGRESS SERIES

Upcoming Webinar: How Has the PEP Marketplace Developed in Year One?

The topic of pooled employer plans (PEPs) has been in the headlines of PLANADVISER Magazine and PLANADVISER.com since the passage of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act in late 2019. With the formal launch of the PEP marketplace in early 2021, this webinar will offer a chance to take stock of how much progress has been made so far. And, as always, we will consider what comes next.

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Labor Issues Highlight Importance, Evolution of Retirement Benefits

For several decades, U.S. workers have been much less active in terms of union participation, and this has had a dramatic impact on not only wages and benefits within unions, but also on what is happening in the private sector.

Today’s Most Read

1.	Republican Tax Bill Expands 529s and HSAs, Limits Changes to Retirement
2.	Senate Bill Would Expand Retirement Plan Access to Younger Americans
3.	Latest Equity Investment Values Hub International at $29 Billion

Sponsored by Franklin Templeton

Voice of the American Worker

Franklin Templeton’s survey results indicate the need for financial wellness personalization.

IRS Summarizes Retirement Plan Hardship Withdrawal Rules

An updated Issue Snapshot reflects changes made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and subsequent IRS regulations.

Fiduciaries Accused of Shortchanging Participants in ESOP Sale

A Department of Labor lawsuit says the fiduciaries allowed the ESOP's ownership shares to be sold for less than market value to benefit themselves and two board member's children.

Op-Ed: ERISA Prudence Demands Healthy ESG Skepticism

Neal Shikes agrees that ESG factors can be an important part of institutional investors’ methodologies, but he also says retirement plan fiduciaries should be skeptical of some claims about what todays’ ESG investments can actually deliver when it comes to confronting climate change.

A Balanced Fund or a TDF?

Weighing their relative merits is an important task for advisers and clients.

Market Mirror

Tuesday, the Dow climbed 138.79 points (0.39%) to 36,052.63, the Nasdaq closed 53.69 points (0.34%) higher at 15,649.60, and the S&P 500 increased 16.98 points (0.37%) to 4,630.65. The Russell 2000 was up 3.74 points (0.16%) at 2,361.86, and the Wilshire 5000 gained 71.57 points (0.15%) to finish at 48,111.71.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was up 1/32, decreasing its yield to 1.548%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond was unchanged, with its yield up to 1.959%.

Industry Intel Roundup Featured Webinars

PLANADVISER is pleased to present the next edition of our Industry Intelligence roundup. This week, we are featuring webinars sponsored by or featuring experts in the industry. The content was created to supply actionable insights to retirement plan advisers regarding client service and practice management.

Sponsored by Commonwealth | June 10, 2025

The 4-1-1(k): A SECURE 2.0 Provision’s “Grand” Impact on Emergency and Retirement Savings

How big of a difference can $1K make? For retirement plan engagement, the answer could depend on how well RPAs and recordkeepers understand and communicate the relationship between short-term and long-term savings to plan sponsors and their benefit-eligible employees. Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, employees can withdraw up to $1,000 once a year from their traditional 401(k) retirement accounts for self-identified emergencies, without paying the 10% early withdrawal tax. Research and thought leadership from Commonwealth, BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative, Compass Financial Partners, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company, and Voya Financial sheds light on the wide-ranging needs of employees in a geographically diverse workforce, and how a suite of emergency savings and liquidity options can best serve workers, and where the new provision fits into those options. This webinar will: ● Dive into the impacts of SECURE 2.0’s $1K withdrawal provision on retirement plan engagement ● Share the RPA and recordkeeper's points of view on the implementation and impact of emergency savings benefits ● Provide tangible action steps for attendees to consider adopting a proactive provision promotion approach for their teams All views and opinions expressed by panelists are their own and are not intended to be those of sponsoring or partner organizations.