The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Retirement Plans
July 31, 2026
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11 items · ~2 min read
Top of the Brief
Increased Nonelective Contributions Could Help More Employees Save, per Vanguard“Current retirement plan matching contribution formulas have some room for improvement, according to new research from Vanguard.”
In this issue
Regulatory Action and Guidance (1) · Retirement Plans (4) · Litigation (2) · General Benefits (4)
Regulatory Action and Guidance
1 item“As part of its well-documented efforts to expand Americans’ access to retirement through the promotion of various savings vehicles, the Trump Administration is working to broaden the types of assets available to retirement savers through their 401(k) plans.” MORE >>
Source: NCPERS
Retirement Plans
4 items“MissionSquare today announced that the Income America 5forLife retirement income solution is now available to eligible MissionSquare-administered retirement plans, offering a lifetime income-focused option alongside traditional investments for participants approaching and entering retirement.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
“Current retirement plan matching contribution formulas have some room for improvement, according to new research from Vanguard.” MORE >>
Source: PLANADVISER
“The Standard Insurance Co., a subsidiary of StanCorp Financial Group Inc., announced Thursday a pooled employer plan for 403(b) nonprofit organizations. The Standard will serve as the pooled plan provider, 402(a) named fiduciary, 3(16) fiduciary and recordkeeper.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
“The issue: what is the state of issue of any annuity contract purchased under any of these programs, and how does choice impact the plan participants and the fiduciaries?” MORE >>
Source: Business of Benefits
Litigation
2 items“A(nother) federal judge has granted the motion to dismiss in a(nother) forfeiture reallocation suit — not because of arguments raised by the fiduciary defendants, but because the arguments put forth by the plaintiff were insufficient.” MORE >>
Source: American Retirement Association
“Employers withdrawing from multiemployer pension plans may want to carefully document applicable interest rates at the time of withdrawal, seek express written agreements on how partial payments will be allocated, and maintain genuine operational separateness among affiliated entities to reduce overall liability exposure and defend against single-employer claims.” MORE >>
Source: Ogletree Deakins
General Benefits
4 items“Changing pension administration software vendors is a significant strategic decision for any organization. While software features are an important part of the equation, pension administration projects are complex, long-term initiatives with implications that extend well beyond a software change.” MORE >>
Source: Segal
“A mid-year snapshot of what's proposed, what's finalized and what every plan sponsor needs to act on now.” MORE >>
Source: americancentury.com
[Regulatory Action and Guidance]
Crapo Announces Hearing on Process Approaches for Addressing Social Security SolvencyThe Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to explore process approaches for addressing Social Security solvency, a critical issue for retirement plan sponsors and fiduciaries. MORE >>
Source: Senate Finance Committee
[Regulatory Action and Guidance]
SEC Proposes to Authorize Electronic Delivery of Documents Required by the Federal Securities Laws and Regulations“On July 16, 2026, the SEC proposed Regulation E-Delivery (Reg E-Delivery), which if adopted would: (i) establish conditions under which the delivery requirements of the Federal securities laws could be satisfied by delivering information electronically (e-delivery) without the need to first obtain recipients’ affirmative consent; (ii) rescind the rule providing alternative means for registered investment companies to satisfy shareholder report transmission requirements; and (iii) amend rules addressing the dissemination of proxy and tender offer materials to facilitate consistency with the proposed new e-delivery framework.” MORE >>
Source: Arnold & Porter
Also of Note
- German Occupational Pensions Update: Key Decisions of the Third Senate – Part 1 — “In its judgment of September 25, 2025, the BAG considered the conditions under which a flat-rate adjustment clause providing for an annual 1% increase in ongoing pension benefits may replace the statutory adjustment review under Section 16(1) of the German Occupational Pensions Act (Betriebsrentengesetz, BetrAVG)—and thus, ultimately, any adjustment in line with the development of the consumer price index.” (Littler)
- Vanguard Proposes 401(k) Match Formulas With More Nonelective Contributions — “Plan sponsors can maximize the retirement outcomes of a broader employee base by offering a lower match rate, paired with a higher match cap.” (PLANSPONSOR)
- Gen Z, DEI and opportunity: How AI has changed the way we work — “Eighty-eight percent of organizations are using AI, with 57% feeling optimistic about it being integrated into current workflows, according to a recent survey from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half.” (Employee Benefit News)
- Ask ERISA Reinvents ERISA Research: From Hours to Seconds — “The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) launched Ask ERISA™️ — its innovative and engaging research tool for advisors, plan consultants, and home office teams — on July 30.” (Gibson Dunn)
- Employers may not be training workers well enough for widespread AI disruption — “Advanced skills, such as managing AI agents, do not tend to be the focus of employer training, The Conference Board said in a report.” (HR Dive)