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May 6, 2010

401(K) Plan Investments Under Heightened Legal and Regulatory Scrunity

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Teleconference/Webinar

Teleconference/Webinar
1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern

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The plummeting values of employee retirement funds exposed previously unconsidered investment risks. As a result, ERISA fiduciaries are under increasing scrutiny by the government and plan members for investment-related decisions, including plan fees charged and fund choices offered.

Fees litigation is ongoing, but emerging appellate court rulings are inconsistent. Target-date funds are under intense scrutiny. The proposed DOL regulations on the investment-advice exemption to the prohibited-transaction rules in individual account plans and IRAs goes into effect May 1, 2010.

As litigation over fees persists, plans seek lower cost investment vehicles like collective trusts and exchange-traded funds. Fiduciaries and sponsors must weigh the benefits and disadvantages of these alternative funds and take action to minimize fiduciary liabilities.

Seyfarth Shaw employee benefits attorney Hannah Widlus and an authoritative panel of legal specialists will discuss the litigation trends in retirement plan investments, recent regulatory action, alternative investment vehicles and best practice for fiduciaries and sponsors to minimize fiduciary liabilities.

The panel will review these key questions:

  • What new risks have emerged for retirement plans as a result of the market downturn?
  • What guidance is provided for plan fiduciaries and sponsors by recent appellate court decisions in fees litigation?
  • What are the benefits and risks of some of the lower-cost alternative investment vehicles used by retirement plans?
  • How can plan fiduciaries and sponsors minimize fiduciary liabilities for fund investment?