NewsDash – February 12, 2025

February 12th, 2025
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday

Compliance

Charter Communications Faces 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

The plaintiffs in the latest forfeiture case are represented by law firm Schlichter Bogard LLP.

EVENTS

2025 PLANSPONSOR Roadmap Livestream Series: SECURE 2.0 on Catch-Up Provisions

Join Today’s Session: Learn about the necessary considerations for working with recordkeepers and third-party administrators to implement the age 60 to 63 and high-earner Roth catch-up provisions, avoid mistakes and best educate participants.

Most Read

Data and Research
Employers Buckle Down on Pharmacy, Medical Costs

Compliance
8th Circuit Tosses Wells Fargo Forfeiture Complaint on Lack of Standing

Compliance
DOL Eases Enforcement of New Rules for Paper Benefit Statements

MARKET MIRROR

Tuesday, the Dow rose 123.24 points (0.28%) to close at 44,593.65, the Nasdaq fell 70.41 points (0.36%) to close at 19,643.86 and the S&P 500 rose 2.06 points (0.03%) to close at 6,068.40. The Russell 2000 fell 12.24 points (0.53%) to close at 2,275.70, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index fell 39.73 points (0.07%) to close at 60,950.46.

The 10-year Treasury note decreased 24/32, bringing the yield to 4.543%. The 30-year Treasury bond decreased 5/32, bringing the yield to 4.751%.

Data and Research

DC Plan Growth Keeps US Retirement Market as World’s Largest

Global retirement assets reach $58.5 trillion in 2024, according to data from the Thinking Ahead Institute.

Ask the Experts

Will Plan Sponsors Need New Catch-Up Deferrals for High Earners in 2026?

Experts from Groom Law Group and CAPTRUST answer questions concerning retirement plan administration and regulations.

SMALL TALK

ON THIS DATE: In 1809, British naturalist Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection, was born. In 1818, Chile formally declared independence from Spain. In 1851, gold was discovered in east-central New South Wales, Australia, sparking the country’s first gold rush. In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded. In 1934, basketball player Bill Russell, one of the greatest defensive centers in National Basketball Association history and the first Black coach of a major professional U.S. sports team—the Boston Celtics—was born. In 1953, the Egyptian government signed an agreement with the U.K., granting self-government for the Sudan and self-determination within three years for the Sudanese. In 1994, thieves broke into the National Gallery in Oslo and stole The Scream—later recovered—one of several versions Norwegian artist Edvard Munch made of his most famous painting. In 2002, Slobodan Milošević, former president of Yugoslavia, went on trial for war crimes in The Hague, at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; he died four years later, before the trial had ended. In 2019, the Republic of Macedonia formally changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia.

Industry Intel Roundup—Featured Webinars

PLANSPONSOR is pleased to present the next edition of our Industry Intelligence roundup. This week, we are featuring webinars sponsored by experienced providers in the industry. The content was created to educate, inform and offer ideas for plan sponsors regarding plan design, investing, administration and compliance.

May 19, 2026

Understanding the DOL’s Latest Proposal for Prudent Investment Selection

The Department of Labor has issued a new proposal that could affect how retirement plan fiduciaries evaluate, document, and defend investment decisions. This webinar will provide: • Timely context and practical perspective on the proposal • Insight into what the proposal is intended to clarify • Considerations for how fiduciary processes may be affected • Key questions plan sponsors and committees should be thinking about as the rulemaking process continues

SPONSORED BY: Aon | June 18, 2026

DC Plan Management Under Pressure

Retirement plan risks rarely emerge all at once—they surface through early operational signals that often go unnoticed until issues escalate. As data becomes more abundant yet fragmented, and innovation outpaces traditional oversight frameworks, plan sponsors face growing pressure to ensure their governance, operations, and focus on participant outcomes keep pace. In this webinar, Aon’s Grace Lattyak moderates a practical discussion with Aon colleagues Tamara Langham, Jeff Forman, and Melissa Elbert on whether the way plans operate today is truly fit for today’s environment. The panel will focus on how decisions are made, escalated, monitored, and governed in real time. Drawing on real‑world observations, the discussion will explore where leading sponsors are revisiting committee charters, refining dashboards, clarifying roles, and strengthening vendor oversight to surface risk earlier, improve accountability and support more timely, informed action. Attendees will also hear how subtle breakdowns—missed signals, overloaded agendas, or unclear ownership—can undermine even well‑designed plans. Participants will leave with practical considerations and diagnostic questions to bring back to their committees—focused on strengthening operational discipline, governance effectiveness and resilience before small issues become material. Key Topics Will Include: Governance: Is your governance model still designed for today’s scale, scrutiny, and accountability—or yesterday’s plan? Data: Do you know how to turn data into earlier signals around risk, errors, leakage, and participant engagement? Outcomes: How do you credibly measure progress in participant behavior and decision‑making—not just plan features and participation rates? Innovation: What is best practice for evaluating new tools with clear ownership, monitoring, and guardrails so innovation reduces risk rather than adds complexity?

August 19, 2026

DB Plan Administration

Besides findings from PLANSPONSOR’s annual Defined Benefit Administration Survey, our panel will discuss trends in the defined benefit plan sector. Speakers will also talk about ongoing management of DB plans—whether closed, frozen or active—and benchmarking DB plan providers. With many corporate DB plans now overfunded, the panel will also discuss ways that sponsoring companies can use their plan’s surplus.

November 18, 2026

Understanding Participant Behavior

The PLANSPONSOR Participant Survey examines the attitudes and behaviors of American workers participating—or not—in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. We’ll explore findings about respondents’ participation and saving decisions, retirement expectations and most-valued benefits. Speakers will suggest what the findings mean for retirement plan design, benefit offerings and participant engagement.