In prepared testimony Tuesday morning to the Department of Labor's (DOL) leadership and staff, American Retirement Association (ARA) CEO Brian Graff highlighted “the significant regulatory gap” regarding plan-level advice. Graff’s comments—made in support of the DOL’s latest attempt to modernize... READ MORE

An increasing body of research and results seem to confirm that state-sponsored retirement plans—and auto-IRAs specifically—close the coverage gap, not only by providing a public option but also by encouraging higher private plan adoption. Currently, 14 states have a mandate in place, with another... READ MORE

The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) launched the NAPA Advisor Research Institute (NARI), a new and unique research arm dedicated to the retirement plan advisor industry launched earlier this year. This is a friendly reminder that responses to the first NARI Survey are due Tuesday, Dec... READ MORE

On Tuesday, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), the House Financial Services Committee chairman who went viral with a gavel-banging incident when serving as temporary Speaker of the House in the wake of Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, announced that he would not seek reelection.   The Financial... READ MORE

Humans typically reject new technology, at least initially. Cars were killers and electricity sorcery, and so it is with artificial intelligence (AI), a Skynet-supported superintelligence network that will doom us all. Or maybe not—at least with financial advice. Integrated wealth management... READ MORE

The release of a proposed regulation that provides guidance on the “long-term, part-time employee” (LTPTE) rules a mere 25 working days before they’re effective places too great a burden on plan sponsors to comply, the American Retirement Association (ARA) wrote in a letter to the Internal Revenue... READ MORE

The problem of Social Security overpayments is only getting worse, according to a new report from the Social Security Administration. The agency’s Fiscal Year 2023 financial report found that as of the end of September, $23 billion in outstanding overpayments were sent, which it tried and failed... READ MORE

If you’re confused—and overwhelmed—about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) latest proposed rule defining who is an investment advice fiduciary for purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), you’re not alone. The Biden Administration officially unveiled the Retirement Security... READ MORE

“Money can’t buy happiness;” it’s a truism as old as time and one Millennials and Gen Z are rejecting (like everything else). “Can money buy happiness?” Empower recently—and rhetorically—asked. “The answer is “yes” for 59% of Americans (72% of Millennials and 67% of Gen Z). The price of that... READ MORE