Admin316 401(k) Knowledge Center

Bloomberg Law News reports that Insulet has been ordered to defend its retirement plan’s target-date funds. The pool line gives no further detail on the court or the claims.

A case that survives to the defense stage shows target-date fund selection is still a live litigation target. Sponsors who picked a default suite should expect scrutiny of that choice.

An engineering firm has agreed to a $750,000 settlement of a lawsuit over the performance of funds in its 401(k) plan, per Bloomberg Law News. The pool line does not name the firm or give other terms.

Investment performance claims keep producing settlements, so the fund lineup and the process behind it carry real litigation risk for sponsors.

PlanSponsor reports that an ESOP valuation act has been signed into law. The pool line does not describe its provisions.

Changes to how ESOP stock is valued would matter to sponsors of employee-owned companies, where valuation is a frequent source of fiduciary disputes.

American Banker reports that the Supreme Court is weighing a new hurdle for 401(k) lawsuits. The pool line does not describe the outcome.

Any new pleading standard for participant claims would change how costly it is for sponsors to defend investment and fee suits.

Bloomberg Law News reports that FedEx retirees have been cleared to proceed with a lawsuit alleging their pensions were shortchanged. The pool line gives no further detail.

Challenges to the actuarial assumptions behind benefit calculations can expose defined benefit sponsors to class claims. Plan documents and actuarial factors deserve a fresh look.

A Florida car dealership has settled a lawsuit tied to its 401(k) provider for $209,000, according to Bloomberg Law News. The pool line gives no further terms or case details.

Even small-dollar settlements show that employers running plans continue to face suits over plan service providers. Defense and settlement costs fall on the sponsor regardless of size.

Law360 analyzes the Eleventh Circuit’s move away from requiring exhaustion of administrative remedies for ERISA statutory claims, framing it as part of a textualist trend. The pool line offers no further detail.

With exhaustion no longer a defense in that circuit, participants can sue without first going through the plan’s claims process. Sponsors there lose an early off-ramp.

JD Supra carries analysis of the en banc Eleventh Circuit decision dropping the exhaustion requirement for ERISA statutory claims. The pool line gives no additional detail.

Plans in the circuit can no longer count on this defense, which may mean more cases reaching court sooner.

Schlichter Bogard says the Eleventh Circuit has ruled that its class action for current and former Inland Fresh workers may proceed, overturning circuit precedent. The source is the plaintiffs’ law firm.

A ruling that removes a defense in the circuit emboldens plaintiffs bringing ESOP-related and other ERISA statutory claims.

RSM US LLP published guidance on year-end 2026 payroll changes for middle market employers tied to BBBA and SECURE 2.0. The pool line gives no specifics.

Payroll and plan provisions that change at year end create operational and reporting risk for employers if not coordinated with the recordkeeper.

401k Specialist runs a piece arguing that human judgment still matters in fiduciary governance as AI tools spread. The pool line gives no further detail.

Fiduciary duties stay with the people who hold them, so using AI in plan oversight does not shift responsibility away from committee members.

PlanSponsor reports that PBGC has proposed reporting requirements for multiemployer plans that received special financial assistance. Further detail is not in the pool line.

Contributing employers and trustees of plans that took SFA money may face added reporting and compliance work.

401k Specialist reports a Gallagher finding that employers are prioritizing retirement outcomes. The pool line does not give figures.

Sponsors are being measured less on offering a plan and more on whether participants can retire, which shapes design and benchmarking decisions.

Pensions & Investments reports on the convergence of retirement plans and wealth management and what it means for plan sponsors. The pool line gives no specifics.

Closer ties between plan services and wealth advice may change what recordkeepers and advisors offer participants, along with how they are paid.

PlanAdviser reports that MarshBerry says wealth advisory M&A could surpass 400 deals in 2026. No other figures appear in the pool line.

Continued advisor consolidation can change who services a plan and how they are compensated, which sponsors should monitor.

Insurance Business reports WTW research finding that workers are skipping care as higher deductibles meet record-low financial security. The pool line gives no numbers.

Financial strain affects participant deferral and withdrawal behavior and raises demand for emergency savings features in plans.

Human Resources Director reports that half of workers lack a three-month emergency savings cushion. The pool line gives no further detail.

Thin emergency savings drives plan leakage through loans and hardship withdrawals, so sponsors considering emergency savings features have a use case.

A Federal Register notice from the Employee Benefits Security Administration grants an exemption allowing the IBEW Local 99 Joint Apprenticeship Training Fund to buy improved real property at 40 Western Industrial Drive in Cranston, Rhode Island. The seller is Local Union 99 Realty Corporation, which is wholly owned by the union.

It illustrates that transactions between a plan-related fund and a party in interest need a prohibited transaction exemption. Sponsors face the same rule whenever a related party deals with plan assets.

Benefits Canada reports that Gen Z is withdrawing from retirement savings more often than other generations. The pool line gives no figures and the report may not be specific to the US.

Leakage among younger participants erodes balances and complicates outcomes measurement, whichever market the data comes from.

PBGC has announced it intends to ask OMB to extend, with modifications, approval of the information collection in its special financial assistance regulation. The notice is a Paperwork Reduction Act filing dated October 16.

Changes to what plans must submit under the SFA program affect trustees and administrators of eligible multiemployer plans.

Employee Benefit News covers 2027 healthcare cost trends for employers. The pool line gives no figures.

Rising health costs compete with retirement contributions in the benefits budget and can influence match and plan design decisions.