The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Retirement Plans
August 11, 2026
— § —
11 items · ~3 min read
Top of the Brief
Treasury Department, IRS Propose Guidance on Trump Accounts“Under the Trump Accounts program, employers may contribute up to $2,500 to the individual retirement account (IRA) per each eligible employee. The new proposal would create a separate written employer plan and exclude employee’s income of up to $2,500 each year. This written plan would need to specify what employees are eligible to participate in the program; contribution formulas utilized, including section 125 cafeteria plan salary reduction arrangements; account-designated procedures; required notices and reporting for employees; and procedures for amending administrative errors; among other requirements.”
In this issue
Regulatory Action and Guidance (3) · Retirement Plans (5) · Press Releases (1) · General Benefits (2)
Regulatory Action and Guidance
3 items“The Department of the Treasury and the IRS are moving ahead with implementation of the federal Saver’s Match, outlining anticipated rules for a program that will replace the Saver’s Credit, a federal tax credit.” MORE >>
Source: PLANADVISER
“Under the Trump Accounts program, employers may contribute up to $2,500 to the individual retirement account (IRA) per each eligible employee. The new proposal would create a separate written employer plan and exclude employee’s income of up to $2,500 each year. This written plan would need to specify what employees are eligible to participate in the program; contribution formulas utilized, including section 125 cafeteria plan salary reduction arrangements; account-designated procedures; required notices and reporting for employees; and procedures for amending administrative errors; among other requirements.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
“Employers can contribute up to $2,500 to a Trump Account annually, which counts toward the $5,000 annual contribution limit. There will be a public hearing on October 15 as part of the public comment period. The guidance, if finalized, would provide clarity for employees with multiple children, self-employed workers, and employers interested in contributing to Trump Accounts.” MORE >>
Source: American Retirement Association
Retirement Plans
5 items“The long-standing saver’s tax credit, which is a nonrefundable tax credit for low to middle taxpayers, is being replaced, beginning next year, with a government matching contribution (up to $1,000 annually) paid into a plan (or IRA). For nearly the first time, funds are flowing from the government into a plan (or IRA), rather than out to the government. This takes a coordinated effort by recordkeepers, plan sponsors, IRA providers, and the government alike, as no one wants to leave retirement savings on the table. Notice 2026-48 (in Q&A format) provides the first round of guidance, and this Notice (along with comments hereon) will provide a strong foundation for future proposed regulations. ” MORE >>
Source: Groom Law Group
[General Benefits]
Should My Cycle 2 Preapproved 403(b) Restatement Also Include SECURE 2.0 Amendments?“Experts from Groom Law Group and CAPTRUST answer questions concerning retirement plan administration and regulations.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
[General Benefits]
GIPS Compliance: The New GAAP? Why Pension Trustees Should Stop Confusing Reporting Standards with Market Reality with Private Equity“Neither asks the harder question: What would someone actually pay for this partnership today? That distinction matters enormously. The 100-Cent Myth A private equity general partner may report that a limited partnership is worth 100 cents on the dollar. The valuation follows accepted accounting policies. Auditors review the process. Performance statistics are calculated from those values.” MORE >>
Source: The Commonsense 401(k) Project
“According to the vice president of research at the DCIIA Retirement Research Center, interest has reached a tipping point.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
[General Benefits]
PEPs Aren’t Reducing Advisor Value. They’re Redefining It“For many retirement plan advisors, PEPs raise an uncomfortable question: if a PEP takes over the lion’s share of fiduciary and administrative responsibilities, what role is left for the advisor? It’s a fair concern. Traditionally, much of an advisor’s role has been focused on navigating investment oversight, governance, compliance and countless administrative responsibilities. When the pooled plan provider (PPP) assumes most of that responsibility, it may appear that the advisor’s value could decrease. But PEPs don’t reduce advisor value — they enable advisors to refocus and redefine their value. PEPs are perhaps the biggest retirement plan innovation since the advent of auto enrollment and ” MORE >>
Source: American Retirement Association
Press Releases
1 item[Webinars]
Recognizing the Spring 2026 Class of NCPERS Advanced Fiduciaries“NCPERS would like to recognize the 14 public pension trustees and staff who most recently earned the prestigious Advanced Fiduciary (AF) designation: Designed for public pension trustees, plan administrators, and investment and operations staff with fiduciary oversight responsibilities, the NCPERS Advanced Fiduciary (AF) credential provides a competitive edge when serving on committees, working with boards, or pursuing leadership opportunities.” MORE >>
Source: NCPERS
General Benefits
2 items[Retirement Plans]
Senate Bill Would Link Newborns’ Social Security Enrollment to Trump Accounts“The proposal would streamline access by establishing new investment accounts through the existing registration system.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
“AI can help identify, reduce, and mitigate fiduciary risk, but it cannot replace the disciplined reasoning, human oversight, and behavioral governance required to make fiduciary decisions explainable and defensible. In an AI-enabled world, elite retirement professionals will be defined by a new triad: Fiduciary Judgment + AI Proficiency + Behavioral Governance Together, these disciplines move fiduciary standards beyond procedural adequacy and toward disciplined reasoning, responsible technology use, and behaviors known to improve decision-making outcomes.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
Also of Note
- Senators Propose Combining Newborns’ Trump Account, Social Security Sign-Ups — “Under the proposal, the Social Security Administration would modify the EAB program to collect and transmit information needed by the Department of the Treasury to establish accounts for newborns.” (PLANADVISER)
- What Foreign Decumulation Models Could Help the US? — “Global retirement experts suggest investment options, advice and artificial intelligence can all help with drawing down defined contribution savings.” (PLANSPONSOR)
- Providers See Managed Account Growth in Personalization — “Managed account providers argue that a key differentiator separating managed accounts from other defined contribution investment solutions is personalization, according to a recently published report by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association’s Retirement Research Center, “Managed Accounts Today and Tomorrow: Industry Provider Perspectives.” (PLANADVISER)
- Annuities: Who Is Your Regulator—and Does Your 401(k) Fiduciary Even Know? — “If you own a mutual fund in your 401(k), you probably assume there is a federal regulator somewhere watching the store.” (The Commonsense 401(k) Project)