With President Barack Obama now leading the charge, a multiyear battle to update a fiduciary standard for anyone giving retirement investment advice has defined contribution plan executives and service providers bracing for big changes.

Since 2012, a number of large pension plan sponsors have given selected participants a limited-time option of receiving their retirement benefits in the form of a lump sum. Although sponsors' decisions to make certain lump sum “window” offers may be permissible by law, questions have been raised about participants' understanding of the financial tradeoffs associated with their choice. More...

The effect of plan fee litigation on workers’ retirement savings has sharply divided various industry groups, which filed competing amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in an upcoming case involving Section 401(k) plan fees (Tibble v. Edison Int’l, U.S., No. 13-550, arguments scheduled 2/24/15).

Whether 401(k) plan fiduciaries in monitoring investments must look for cheaper options was the question dividing justices and litigants when the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument Feb. 24 in a case involving the time frame in which plan participants can challenge their plan's investment options.