In this week’s update, Erik breaks down two major developments that highlight the increasing influence of private equity in the retirement plan space: (1) a private equity-owned consulting firm is entering its second ownership cycle, and (2) a major ...
It is with great pride that we share with you that our manager research analyst, Rebecca Dobson, has officially earned the ...
Two recent judicial decisions may throw cold water on the newest trend in ERISA litigation, plan sponsors' use of forfeitures. ...
In our Fiduciary Focus this week, Erik shares insights from a recent due diligence visit with a national managed account ...
The latest GDP data revealed that the U.S. economy shrank in Q1. The primary driver behind this contraction was the heavy net ...
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We are thrilled to share that Multnomah Group has recently welcomed two new team members, Stella Harkness and Jake Larson.
In this week's update, Erik delves into the significant market movements and their implications for retirement plan sponsors. ...
I was only three when Saigon fell, and the Vietnam conflict effectively concluded, so today is the period of the highest ...
The Supreme Court has clarified pleading standards for ERISA prohibited transaction claims with its ruling favoring plaintiffs in ...
Multnomah Group continues to monitor the status of two lawsuits challenging the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Biden-era fiduciary ...
In recent years, the influence of politics has permeated nearly every aspect of our lives, from the beverages we choose to drink ...
On April 2, President Trump announced new tariffs on nearly all major trading partners. The average tariff rate across countries ...
We are excited to share that for the third year in a row, six of our advisors have been included on the PLANADVISER Top ...
In the recent case of Utah v. Micone, No. 2:23-CV-016-Z (N.D. Tex. Feb. 14, 2025), the U.S. District Court for the Northern ...
The retirement plan marketplace is undergoing significant changes, with plan sponsors increasingly addressing a broad array of ...
A Federal judge in the Northern District of Texas has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the ESG-focused case Spence v. American ...
The push to pass legislation allowing collective investment trusts (CITs) in 403(b) plans couldn’t get over the finish line in ...
Season's Greetings from all of us at Multnomah Group! Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season filled with warmth, ...
UnitedHealth Group (UHG) has agreed to a $69 million settlement to end the case of Snyder v. UnitedHealth Group. The settlement ...
Each year, our DEI Committee works to serve as an authentic and proactive filter to assess policies, procedures, and programs ...
We have come to the end of our Regulatory Update blog series, so far we have covered updates from the IRS, explored legislative ...
Multnomah Group’s annual Regulatory Update included information related to two Department of Labor (DOL) rules issued over the ...
We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our team, Emily Zinn, who joins us as the Director of Vendor Services. Emily ...
In our ongoing series on the Annual Regulatory Update, we’ve already covered updates from the IRS, explored legislative changes ...
In our ongoing series on the Annual Regulatory Update, we’ve already explored legislative changes and key insights from the ...
Form 8955-SSA is used by plan sponsors to report participants who have separated from service and are entitled to deferred vested ...
The IRS announced 2025 dollar limits on benefits and contributions for qualified retirement plans.
Continuing our series on this year’s retirement plan regulatory updates, we now shift our focus to the Department of Labor. If ...
Each year, our annual Regulatory Update covers the regulatory, litigation and legislative updates and changes that are affecting ...
403(b) plan sponsors are required to adhere to the long-term/part-time (LT/PT) participation rules that go into effect Jan. 1, ...
Inflation & the Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve has held rates at a recent high of 5.25-5.50% since July 2023. Ending ...
On Friday, Oct. 4, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) agreed to hear a petition from workers at Cornell University that centers on a ...
The IRS issued guidance for 403(b) plan sponsors on the SECURE 2.0 rule requiring long-term/part-time (LT/PT) employees to be ...
I was recently at an industry conference of retirement plan consultants and participated in a session discussing how ...
The primary objective of this blog is to educate retirement plan fiduciaries about the use of insurance separate accounts in ...
At some point, all good plan fiduciaries will need to make changes to their investment menu. This could be a simple replacement ...
The most recent trend in retirement is to focus on retirement income. However, many conversations revolve around believing that ...
Only so many tasks are more difficult than finding the most suitable target date fund (TDF) series for a plan’s participants. Our ...
We want to congratulate our consultant and director of vendor services, Hailey Fields, for being distinguished as a 2024 ...
On August 19,, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released interim guidance (Notice 2024-63) related to section 110 of the SECURE ...
ERISA Overview: The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) regulates employee benefit plans, including pension ...
We have a saying at the firm. The best recordkeeper conversion is the one you don’t have to do. However, the only thing worse ...
Your retirement plan consultant can play a helpful role in assisting you with your plan’s yearly plan audit. Retirement plan ...
The Department of Labor calls for employers to educate their committee members on their roles and responsibilities. Employees ...
Senators have introduced bill S.4917 to allow the use of Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) in 403(b) plans. This mirrors the ...
Cybersecurity threats are more frequent in today’s market than ever before. Data protection is critical, whether in the ...
In the complex landscape of retirement plan management, fiduciaries face numerous challenges, including maintaining the integrity ...
On June 28, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the well-known ...
Inflation & the Federal Reserve At their June meeting, the Federal Reserve continued to hold rates at 5.25-5.5%, a position ...
We are thrilled to share that Multnomah Group has recently welcomed two new team members, Azzurra Cappuccini and Josh Snisky.
SECURE 2.0 includes many optional provisions for plan sponsors to consider that will allow participants to make penalty-free ...
An ERISA lawsuit has been filed against Bechtel, a large engineering company, naming Bechtel’s board and retirement committee as ...
One optional provision in SECURE 2.0 allows employees to have employer matching and non-elective contributions made as after-tax ...
We are excited to share and celebrate the achievements of two outstanding individuals within our organization: Candace Finn and ...
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released the final version of its controversial fiduciary rule, portions of which will be ...
Inflation & the Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve held rates steady at a range of 5.25-5.5% in its March meeting. The Fed ...
It’s fee benchmarking season here at Multnomah Group, which means that we are reviewing scads of fee disclosure documents to ...
In the intricate world of retirement planning, the distinction between a consultant and a fiduciary has never been more critical. ...
We are pleased to share we have been included on the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) Top DC Plan Advisor Teams list ...
We are excited to share that for the second year in a row, six of our advisors have been included on the 2024 PLANADVISER Top ...
On March 7, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a measure that would permit 403(b) retirement plans to include Collective ...
Inflation & the Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve held rates steady in their December meeting as they continued to monitor ...
SECURE 2.0 introduced a variety of optional provisions that allow individuals to make penalty-free withdrawals from their ...
We are pleased to share our latest plan sponsor guide, focused on simplified practices of effective and efficient retirement plan ...
Season's Greetings from all of us at Multnomah Group! Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season filled with warmth, ...
As the New Year is quickly approaching, we wanted to share a reminder about 2024 retirement plan contribution limits. Breion ...
We are excited to share that Multnomah Group has been included in the 2023 Best Places to Work in Money Management awards ...
2023 marks the second year of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Our Committee serves as an authentic and proactive ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
A robust fiduciary governance structure allows employers to proactively manage their retirement plan to ensure its ongoing health ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
On October 31, the Department of Labor published its long-awaited proposed fiduciary rule titled the Retirement Security Rule. ...
Today, November 3, marks Multnomah Group's 20th anniversary! Founding principals Erik Daley and Scott Cameron reflect on the last ...
The IRS announced 2024 dollar limits on benefits and contributions for qualified retirement plans.
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
Our Technical Services Committee has released the 2023 Regulatory Update! Our annual Regulatory Update provides an overview of ...
Last week, we took part in the first annual We Believe in Portland clean-up with AdoptOneBlock, Thesis and Boly:Welch. It was ...
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s summary judgment decision in favor of AT&T in the case Bugielski v. ...
In his latest Timely Topics video, Breion Rollins walks through the different types of retirement plan fees. Plan sponsors must ...
A new entrant in the political showdown related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) focused investing exists. An ...
The IRS issued Notice 2023-62 on August 25 which provides an extension to the enforcement date for the new Roth catch-up ...
There has been another well-deserved victory for defendants in the multitudes of lawsuits filed against large retirement plans ...
Two of the hot topics in the SECURE 2.0 legislation are two provisions related to after-tax Roth-type savings. We’re covering ...
In our Fiduciary Facts video series, we provide quick and comprehensive answers to the most common questions we receive from ...
This new case study explores the challenges faced by small organizations in the management of their retirement plans and how ...
Recordkeepers often offer managed account services to participants. This training material walks your committee through what a ...
Determining an investment menu for your retirement plan has a long-lasting and meaningful impact on the retirement readiness of ...
Two of the hot topics in the SECURE 2.0 legislation are two provisions related to after-tax Roth-type savings. In this two-part ...
In the retirement plan industry, conducting regular 401(k) or 403(b) audits is essential to ensuring compliance and optimizing ...
A few weeks ago, I hopped out of my car and strolled up the walkway at a client’s place of business. For a moment, I was less ...
The benefits of conducting a vendor search substantially outweigh the potential short-term inconveniences. This two-part series ...
This last blog in our series on advisor independence includes key action items for plan sponsors. To understand the context of ...
Earlier this year, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that household debt balances set a record high of $17.05 ...
SECURE 2.0 provides two optional opportunities for plan sponsors to provide participants access to funds for emergencies that ...
The U.S. economy rose at an annualized pace of 2.0% in the first quarter of 2023, a decrease from the fourth quarter of 2022 when ...
The Yale University case is one of the first excessive fee suits filed against a university 403(b) plan, and it has finally been ...
In our second blog in this series, we will dive deeper into the litigation surrounding managed accounts. When advisors and ...
Conducting a vendor search can be a detail-laden, time-intensive process that takes up to six months to complete. If the vendor ...
This blog is the first in a series of three exploring advisor independence in managed account services and the role of a ...
Automatic enrollment in retirement plans has become increasingly popular in recent years, with many employers choosing to ...
A successful retirement plan depends on plan design and administration but can significantly benefit from participants' active ...
We are excited to welcome two interns to Multnomah Group for our 2023 summer internship program! This year’s program is running ...
SECURE 2.0 reduces the eligibility requirement from three years to two years and retains the 500 hours of service threshold. ...
SECURE 2.0 includes an optional provision allowing an employer to make matching contributions based on a participant's student ...
At the NAPA 401(k) Summit last month, I had the opportunity to sit on a panel discussing the evolution of Qualified Default ...
SECURE 2.0 provides two optional opportunities for plan sponsors to provide participants access to funds for emergencies that ...
In the retirement plan industry, conducting regular audits is essential to ensuring compliance and optimizing plan performance. ...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose at an annualized pace of 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2022, a slower pace than recorded ...
As we continue growing our 100% employee-ownership structure, we are pleased to share that Hailey Fields and David Williams are ...
Recent retirement plan litigation continues to be focused on retirement plan costs. One of the simpler allegations in those cases ...
On February 23, 2023, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced changes to the Form 5500 Annual Return and ...
We are excited to share that six of our advisors have been included on the 2023 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Adviser list! The ...
Recently, two large recordkeepers, Empower and TIAA, announced plans to expand their wealth management services. These services ...
On March 22, the Federal Reserve approved an additional rate hike of 0.25%, bringing the benchmark federal funds rate to a range ...
Two banks, Silicon Valley Bank & Signature Bank, collapsed in a crisis that evolved over the last few weeks. Silicon Valley ...
The clash on the use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in making investment decisions continues to wage on. ...
We are pleased to share we have been included on the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) Top DC Plan Advisor Teams list ...
In 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act introduced a new retirement savings vehicle ...
I am honored to have been invited to participate in a panel discussion at the NAPA 401(k) Summit next month. Since the pandemic, ...
On Friday, March 10, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed after its parent, SVB Financial, shared that it sold its bonds at a ...
The Department of Labor (DOL) introduced a final regulation at the end of 2022 allowing fiduciaries to take Environmental, Social ...
As a retirement plan consultant, I have seen first-hand the significant impact that choosing the right recordkeeper can have on ...
How can plan sponsors mitigate risk against possible fee litigation? During this short video, Breion Rollins discusses the ...
Multiple lawsuits were filed this summer alleging the use of the BlackRock LifePath suite of target date funds in retirement ...
As an employer, one of your top priorities is likely to ensure that your employees are happy and productive. Financial wellness ...
Retirement can be a challenging time for anyone, but several issues unique to women can make it even more difficult. Here are six ...
The number of retirement plan provisions in SECURE 2.0 is expansive, and we know that can feel overwhelming for a plan sponsor. ...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose at an annualized pace of 3.2% in the third quarter, a reversal from a decline of 0.6% in ...
Last week, Multnomah Group members Greg Johnson, J.D. and Candace Finn presented a webinar focused on recent regulatory changes ...
As retirement plan administration and compliance continue to expand and evolve, it seems that the liability of operating a plan, ...
In August, The Retirement Income Institute published a paper titled “Race/Ethnicity, Saving, and Postretirement Outcomes.” The ...
We wish our clients, partners, and friends a wonderful New Year! We appreciate your partnership and trust this past year, and we ...
The retirement industry is close to getting the holiday gift it asked for. SECURE 2.0 has been included in the omnibus spending ...
In the retirement plan industry, we bandy about a wide variety of terminology to convey the various roles players have in serving ...
We are excited to share that Multnomah Group has been included in the 2022 Best Places to Work in Money Management awards ...
You work with your retirement plan administration vendor every year to complete your annual compliance requirements. It’s ...
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule titled “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising ...
At the beginning of this year, we established our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Our Committee serves as an ...
Offering access to cryptocurrency for retirement plan investors has been a hot topic (as discussed in Multnomah Group’s annual ...
Recently, class action lawsuits were filed against 11 plan sponsors that offer the BlackRock Lifepath Index Target Date Funds. ...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined at an annualized pace of 0.6% in the second quarter, a slower rate than the 1.6% ...
The IRS announced 2023 dollar limits on benefits and contributions for qualified retirement plans. Watch our short video ...
Being aware of cybersecurity best practices is an ongoing responsibility and not a point-in-time event; however, periodically ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
I have written on several occasions about some of the primary risks facing the retirement plan industry. Chief among them may be ...
Our Technical Services Committee has released the 2022 Regulatory Update! Our annual Regulatory Update provides an overview of ...
We are very pleased to share with you some exciting news at Multnomah Group! Pacific Retirement Partners, a Pacific ...
I was a relatively early adopter of LinkedIn. I’m not sure when but based on the headshot I’m guessing it has been a minute. I ...
Given the increase in the volume of cases being brought against retirement plan sponsors, we are often asked by our clients (1) ...
Markets have been unhappy coming out of the recent Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. U.S. equity markets did well coming out of ...
Last week, the Biden Administration announced its student loan forgiveness program. How could this impact retirement plan benefit ...
The IRS recently announced an extension to the deadline for plan document amendments related to 2019’s SECURE Act and 2020’s ...
In a Twitter post recently, I quipped about the state of the retirement plan industry. For many years, mergers and acquisitions ...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell at an annualized pace of 1.6% in the first quarter, a sudden reversal off of the U.S. ...
With the Fed in full battle to break the current inflationary cycle, U.S. Treasury yields have surged over the past six months in ...
On June 14, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved the Retirement Improvement and Savings ...
Last week, the Fed increased the Federal Funds rate by 0.75% to 1.75%, the largest increase in the benchmark rate since 1994. The ...
On Monday, the U.S. equity market entered bear territory (a decline of 20%) as concerns continue to grow about the impact of ...
Class action ERISA lawsuits continue to rise, and with the recent Northwestern case and the newly introduced legislation ...
For more than a decade, providers of defined contribution plans have been trying to solve the real challenge of retirement ...
The market continues to be a topic of conversation and questions from our clients, understandably! Taking a look at the market ...
Target date funds (TDFs) are one of four qualified default investment alternatives (QDIA) provided under the 2006 Pension ...
In what is becoming a familiar story, Washington University has agreed to settle the excessive fee lawsuit for $7.5 Million. This ...
Over the last week, the topic of cryptocurrency has been top of mind for us and our plan sponsor clients. We have responded to ...
On April 4, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, “Defined Contribution Plans: 403(b) Investment ...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew in the fourth quarter at an accelerated annualized pace of 6.9%, making 2021 the strongest ...
I am pleased to announce that our firm has established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. We recently spent several ...
We are excited to share that five of our advisors have been included in the 2022 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Adviser list! ...
Update May 17, 2022 - To watch the recording of our presentation on this topic, click here.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022 on a 414-5 vote. The Act is ...
We are pleased to share we have been included on the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) Top DC Plan Advisor Teams list ...
On March 10, the Department of Labor (DOL) released Compliance Assistance No. 2022-01, which cautions plan fiduciaries to ...
Russia has invaded Urkaine. What does this mean for plan sponsors and their participants? We know the unrest in Ukraine creates a ...
All large retirement plans will face challenges related to lost or missing participants. These are individual plan balances where ...
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has revived the excessive fee lawsuit Hughes v. Northwestern University by returning ...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a slower annual pace in the third quarter (2.3%), adversely affected by rising COVID-19 ...
In our first blog of this series focused on a committee's understanding of the importance of continuous growth for their ...
In our first blog of this series focused on a committee's understanding of the importance of continuous growth for their ...
Each time the retirement plan committee meets, does it feel like there is a new rule or legislation your plan is required to ...
For the past 13 years, I have had the great fortune to work alongside Alan Dick here at the Multnomah Group. But I have known him ...
As a consultant, I sometimes hear the collective ‘sigh’ from investment and retirement plan committees when I get to the ...
Two members of the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College, Laura D. Quinby and Gal Wettstein, published a brief ...
In the waning moments of 2019 in the “before times,” the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
The IRS announced 2022 dollar limits on benefits and contributions for qualified retirement plans.
I started my career in retirement plans inauspiciously. I had graduated from the University of Iowa, was engaged to be married to ...
I work on defined contribution plans all day, every day, and I witness firsthand their ability to build wealth for American ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
A few weeks ago, we shared that our consultant and director of vendor services, Hailey McLaughlin, had been nominated for the ...
Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule to explicitly permit plan fiduciaries to consider environmental social ...
GDP expanded in the second quarter (most recent available) at an annual pace of 6.7% as the economy surpassed its pre-pandemic ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
When discussing retirement plan fees, recordkeeping expenses are usually the primary focus for plan fiduciaries. The reasons for ...
Each year, our Technical Services Committee creates a Regulatory Update covering the legislative, regulatory, and litigation ...
We are pleased to share our Technical Services Committee has released our 2021 Regulatory Update!
Let's recap, so far we've covered our three guiding priciples to investment menu design, what we look for within an investment ...