ML BeneBits

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently approved a proposed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rulemaking for investment advisers and funds. This proposed rule and form amendments will impact SEC-regulated asset managers, but may also be of interest to investors, including ERISA plans, that consider ESG factors and/or invest in ESG funds.

Cryptocurrency investing has experienced a tidal wave of popularity since the fabled genesis of Bitcoin in 2009. This growth has been fueled by “extreme” investment returns (despite “extreme” volatility) and innovative means of investing in cryptocurrency. As the wave of interest in cryptocurrency investing reaches the shores of 401(k) plans, including interest in cryptocurrency as a plan investment option or through plan brokerage windows, the US Department of Labor (DOL) warns 401(k) plan fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” before providing plan participants with the opportunity to expose their retirement savings to cryptocurrency.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is temporarily suspending the IRS Prototype Opinion Letter Program for individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities (IRAs) effective March 14, 2022. As noted in Announcement 2022-6, the IRS will not be accepting applications for opinion letters on prototype traditional, Roth, and SIMPLE IRAs or SEP (including SARSEP) and SIMPLE IRA plans until further notice.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that it is seeking comment on the impact of climate change on retirement security and what actions, if any, the agency should take to protect retirement savings from such risks.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final regulation (Final Rule) on December 29, 2021, updating the 2021 Form 5500 to reflect certain statutory changes included in the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act). The Final Rule focuses primarily on changes to accommodate pooled employer plans (PEPs) and other defined contribution multiple employer plans (MEPs).

The Department of Labor (DOL) delivered a surprise holiday gift on December 21, 2021 to fiduciaries of participant-directed 401(k) plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), as amended—issuing a supplemental statement (Supplement) to a June 2020 Information Letter (Letter) regarding the use of private equity investments in investment options. The thrust of the Supplement is that fiduciaries should not read the Letter as endorsing or recommending private equity investments in such plans and should proceed with caution in the use of such investments in a participant-directed 401(k) plan.

At the end of each fiscal year, the US Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) compiles the monetary results it obtained through various initiatives meant to ensure compliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

While considering year-end tasks and planning for the upcoming year, qualified plan sponsors should think about whether they need to revise and/or reissue their summary plan descriptions (SPDs) in 2022.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul enacted an auto-IRA law, effective October 21, which requires certain New York employers to either offer their employees a qualified retirement plan or join the state-run IRA program. The new law amends the New York’s Secure Choice Savings Program, a voluntary IRA program that has been in place since 2018 and is run by the New York State Secure Choice Savings Program Board.

The IRS recently issued FAQs to address workforce issues and labor shortages resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance seems to be in response to well-publicized labor shortages affecting schools and the education industry, although it is not limited to that industry. The FAQs reaffirm prior IRS guidance, but may give comfort to employers who are contemplating rehiring retirees as they try to manage workforce issues “related to” the pandemic.