The case has been vigorously litigated for over three years; now, just weeks ahead of a scheduled trial, negotiations between the parties have delivered a resolution, pending a judge’s approval.
By cutting the fee for its small-plan investment outsourcing solution to 10 basis points, the firm says it will better position its advisers to grow their practices by serving untapped retirement plan markets.
Speakers at the Best of PSNC 2018 event in Boston said diversification remains incredibly important, but simplifying the fund menu is a win-win for participants and sponsors.
And a majority, 65%, say it is tougher now to get ahead financially than it was before the financial crisis, Natixis found in a survey.
Regulation Best Interest lays out the core loyalty and disclosure duties of advisers and broker/dealers—and how these can be satisfied.
According to the court, the consolidated complaint “pleads no facts sufficient to raise a plausible inference that defendants took any of the actions alleged for the purpose of benefiting themselves or a third-party entity.”
At the heart of the complaint were guaranteed investment contracts, a type of group annuity contract sold to retirement plans, issued by Principal to ERISA-covered retirement plan participants.
Ten years after the Great Recession, there continues to be a great focus on the best way to handle capital preservation on the DC retirement plan menu.
In response to staff and client feedback, and in the wake of the defeat of the DOL fiduciary rule, the firm is taking steps to reintroduce use of commission-based products for retirement account clients.
Beyond the nearly $22 million in monetary terms, the settlement agreement includes substantial prospective relief to be provided by Deutsche Bank.
An interim ruling in the fiduciary breach case of Barrett vs. Pioneer Natural Resources, in which elements of the defendants’ motion to oppose class certification failed at the same time the lead plaintiff failed to prove standing, highlights the complex nature of retirement plan lawsuits.
According to Boston Consulting Group, among asset management products, passives were far and away the fastest growing category in 2017, with a record 25% increase in AUM over an already very sizable base.
The decision by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California is short and to the point, stretching just 15 pages and ruling only weakly in favor of the AT&T defendants’ motion to dismiss by allowing room for an amended complaint.
After siding with defendants and applying the shorter of two potential limitations periods, the district court decision states clearly that plaintiff’s claims are foreclosed by ERISA's three-year statute of limitations; the detailed decision tackles head-on a complex set of precedent-setting cases, including Tibble vs. Edison.
Previewing two new Fiduciary Focus Toolkit reports that help plan advisers optimize their workflow, Fi360’s product strategy leader pointed to increased interest in fiduciary support among traditionally wealth-focused firms.
New research from Cerulli points to a number of drivers behind the acceleration in asset management fee compression, tied to improved automation and stronger competition; the research and analytics firm also analyzes the competitive landscape of “robo-advice.”
As an investment professional or a client, there are a lot of reasons to feel positive about the topic of environmental and socially minded investing, but new Cerulli research offers a reminder that not all “ESG” funds are created equal.
While the deadline had already technically passed for the DOL to appeal the circuit court ruling vacating its fiduciary rule reforms, this highly anticipated move by the court is truly the end of an era.