The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Retirement Plans
August 21, 2026
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16 items · ~4 min read
In this issue
Regulatory Action and Guidance (4) · Retirement Plans (2) · Litigation (2) · General Benefits (5) · Press Releases (2) · Webinars (1)
Regulatory Action and Guidance
4 items“For Trump Accounts, an eligible investment generally is a mutual fund or exchange traded fund that tracks an equity index of primarily U.S. companies, such as the S&P 500 index, does not use leverage, and has annual fees and expenses of no more than 0.1 percent of the balance of the investment in the fund. If an account beneficiary does not select an eligible investment offered by the trustee, funds in a Trump Account automatically will be invested during the growth period in an eligible investment selected by the trustee.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
The IRS proposed regulations clarifying income excluded from deduction-eligible income for domestic corporations with foreign-derived income, affecting international tax planning. MORE >>
Source: Federal Register
“The IRS announced on Aug. 13 that it has designed Form 15662, Application for Private Letter Rulings, to simplify and standardize the way PLRs are submitted. The announcement is contained in Revenue Procedure (Rev. Proc.) 2026-30, which will be published in Internal Revenue Bulletin (IRB) 2026-36 on Aug. 24, 2026. What the Change Means Beginning Aug. 26, 2026, taxpayers may use an electronic submission process on Pay.gov to submit requests for PLRs under Rev. Proc. 2026-4.” MORE >>
Source: American Retirement Association
The CDC awarded approximately $15 million to Ukraine's Ministry of Health for HIV and TB epidemic control, advancing public health initiatives. MORE >>
Source: Federal Register
Retirement Plans
2 items“Most compliance problems announce themselves. This one does not. Your plan has been operating under the CARES Act, SECURE 1.0, and SECURE 2.0 for years, your participants have received communications describing those features, and your recordkeeper has administered them faithfully.” MORE >>
Source: Foley & Lardner
“Retirement plan sponsors should be aware of a new rollover process proposed by the IRS pursuant to Notice 2026-49 (the “Notice”) intended to streamline the process of direct rollovers to or from a retirement plan. The Notice responds to Congress’s direction under the SECURE 2.0 Act requiring the IRS to simplify and standardize the process.” MORE >>
Source: JD Supra
Litigation
2 items“The Third Circuit held that FCA retaliation claims are not subject to the heightened standard for pleading fraud under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b), which requires plaintiffs to allege fraud “with particularity.” The court noted that while FCA qui tam claims are subject to this heightened pleading standard because they allege false or fraudulent payments, “[r]etaliation claims under the FCA do not … involve allegations of fraud.” Accordingly, “an FCA retaliation claim need only satisfy Rule 8(a)’s notice pleading standard,” the Third Circuit stated.” MORE >>
Source: Ogletree Deakins
“66 Franklin Street, Suite 300 Oakland, CA 94607 In McEachin v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, No. 2:21-CV-12819, 2026 WL 2391210 (E.D. Mich. Aug.” MORE >>
Source: Roberts Disability Law
General Benefits
5 items“Treasury’s latest guidance answered key compliance questions, advisers say, but employers are now figuring out how to administer the new benefit.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
“A Gusto report finds retirement benefits are becoming more common, particularly in states with automatic IRA programs.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
“Bloomberg’s investigation of collective investment trusts was an important demonstration. https://commonsense401kproject.com/2026/08/13/dead-people-for-private-equity-bloomberg-exposes-astroturfing-behind-trump-dols-401k-push/ Bloomberg used artificial intelligence and extensive data analysis to examine a market that historically has been extraordinarily difficult to map. That matters because CITs have grown into a roughly $6–$7 trillion market rivaling mutual funds, while disclosure remains fragmented among federal and state regulators and no regulator appears to possess a complete picture of the marketplace. That is remarkable. We have trillions of dollars of American retirement savings si” MORE >>
Source: The Commonsense 401(k) Project
“Investment managers, private-equity firms, consultants, insurers, custodians and other Wall Street vendors provide money to the national organizations that educate, convene and influence the public officials responsible for trillions of dollars of retirement assets. The organizations call it membership, sponsorship, education, partnership and networking. Wall Street might call it something simpler: Business development. And public pension participants should start asking a basic question: Who is paying the organizations that are educating and influencing the people investing our retirement money?” MORE >>
Source: The Commonsense 401(k) Project
[Regulatory Action and Guidance]
More than a third of workers say their retirement age has moved later“Employees’ reasons for delaying retirement included the cost of living, not earning enough and a lack of savings. Workers’ reasons for delaying retirement included the cost of living, not earning enough, not having enough savings, healthcare and housing costs, debt, economic uncertainty and supporting family members. Overall, 51% said they’re behind or haven’t yet started saving for retirement, while 49% said they’re on track or ahead of where they need to be. Likewise, a recent Zety report found that among Generation X workers, 19% don’t expect to ever fully retire.” MORE >>
Source: HR Dive
Press Releases
2 items[General Benefits]
District of Columbia Picks Voya as Government Plan Provider“The capital district’s 401(a) and 457(b) plans hold $4.3 billion in assets across more than 52,000 participants.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR
[Retirement Plans]
Ascensus Unveils New Ownership Structure Led by Stone Point, Genstar“Private equity firms will hold equal stakes in the retirement savings company, with new capital earmarked for technology, AI, client experience and expanded capabilities Dresher, Pa.-based Ascensus today announced a new ownership structure co-led by Stone Point Capital and Genstar Capital. The investment will support Ascensus’ next phase of growth, including continued investment in technology and AI, client experience and expanded capabilities. Stone Point and Genstar are each investing new capital and will hold equal stakes in the company. Ascensus will continue to operate with its current leadership team, client relationships, and service model.” MORE >>
Source: 401(k) Specialist
Webinars
1 item“Panelists discussed strategies to manage defined benefit plans and benchmark plan providers.” MORE >>
Source: PLANSPONSOR