The complaint stems from defendants’ alleged refusal to pay post-termination benefits to the plaintiff—and a sizable similarly situated class of would-be beneficiaries—pursuant to terms and definitions in plan documents.
Presented here are the results of several dozen live polling questions fielded at the 2017 PLANADVISER National Conference, gathered during three days of highly detailed discussion of industry trends, challenges and best practices.
A new report, “Everything You Wanted to Know About BICE But Were Afraid to Ask,” offers plan officials key insights on the requirements of the fiduciary rule and the best-interest contract exemption.
There are some important implications for the future of the retirement
advisory industry in the organizational history of LPL Financial’s retirement
arm and its acquired businesses, particularly NRP.
UBS will offer multiple ways for retirement account clients to pay their adviser, including through asset-based and commission-based structures, beginning imminently.
In the midst of ongoing litigation regarding excessive fees,
plan sponsors need an understanding of the different fund share classes
available and how they affect fee structure.
New Cerulli Associates research identifies “pain points” at
the root of advisers’ decisions to change firms—and what leadership can do to
address staff concerns before losing key advisers.
Few know the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
as well as ERISA attorneys; at PLANADVISER, we’re lucky to rely on some of the
best in the business for insight and analysis.
While a handful of firms are moving away from commission-based
retirement accounts in light of the DOL’s fiduciary rule, Cambridge Investment
Group says it will keep supporting these accounts as it develops its own
fiduciary strategy for its advisers.
“This policy is in keeping with NTSA’s long-standing support for effective and clear disclosure of fees, compensation and alternatives within 403(b) plans,” says NTSA Executive Director Chris DeGrassi.
Acknowledging that “smart regulation is only as effective as its
implementation,” the DOL has issued extensive guidance for
advisers and providers seeking to comply with the new conflict of interest
standards and prohibitions.
The company is keeping other aspects of its response to the
rule under wraps for now, including operating and product
modifications likely to be required on the institutional retirement side.
There are many anticipated avenues of disruption associated with
the DOL fiduciary rule, but clearly the most direct influence will be felt at
the point of sale of financial products used in ERISA plans.
