NewsDash – February 14, 2024

February 14th, 2024
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday

Data and Research

Research Shows 4-Year Low for Admin Fees in Public Sector Plans

Investment management fees fell by 10 basis points, but respondents still reported negative returns in data mostly gathered from 2022.

COMPLIANCE

DOL’s EBSA Recovered $1.4B for Retirement, Health Plans in 2023

Regulator cites growth of outreach and education programs along with monetary recoveries among last year’s accomplishments.

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

ECONOMIC EVENTS

In January, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.3%, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.1% over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4% in January; up 3.9% over the year.

MARKET MIRROR

Tuesday, the Dow fell 524.63 points (1.35%) to close at 38,272.75, the Nasdaq fell 286.95 points (1.80%) to close at 15,655.60 and the S&P 500 fell 68.67 points (1.37%) to close at 4,93.17. The Russell 2000 lost 81.08 points (3.96%) to close at 1,964.17, and the FT Wilshire 5000 lost 794.44 points (1.57%) to close at 49,805.62.

The 10-year Treasury decreased 32/32, bringing the yield to 4.316%. The 30-year Treasury bond decreased 1 3/32, bringing the yield to 4.465%.

Opinions

A Legislative Framework for Universal Retirement or Paid Family Medical Leave

Seven essential elements for lawmakers to consider as they work to enact sustainable public-private partnerships to expand benefits coverage.

Benefits

Rising Discount Rates Continue Pension Funding Improvement

U.S. corporate pension plans see their funded status continue rising in January, consulting firms and trackers show.

Ask the Experts

Who Issues the W-2s for Private 457(b) Plans?

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

SMALL TALK

ON THIS DATE: In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone. In 1920, with the establishment of women’s suffrage in the U.S., Carrie Chapman Catt formed the League of Women Voters in Chicago. In 1929, members of Al Capone’s gang of bootleggers massacred a rival gang run by George Moran in Chicago during the Prohibition era. In 1946, dancer, choreographer and actor Gregory Hines, a major figure in the revitalization of tap dancing in the late 20th century, was born. In 1989, Ayatolla Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa and offered a bounty for the assassination of author Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” Khomeini denounced as blasphemous. In 1991, the psychological thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” was released in American theaters; widely regarded as a classic, it won five Academy Awards, including best picture, actor (Anthony Hopkins), actress (Jodie Foster) and director (Jonathan Demme). In 2005, Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim registered YouTube, a website for sharing videos; it would become hugely popular, with more than 1 billion unique users visiting the site every month. In 2018, amid scandals and corruption allegations, South African President Jacob Zuma resigned and was later replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa.

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.