Given the range of personnel who will be expected to understand the law, advance planning by employers will be critical.

With the regulation now in effect, there are a number of things plan sponsors should do, including knowing if their adviser is a fiduciary or has conflicts of interest.

Fiduciary obligations are making access to up-to-date information and analytics from recordkeepers and service providers increasingly important.

A substantial watering-down of the protections in the rule is possible, says Carol Buckmann, so the ultimate status of the new regulation is still in question.

The legislation ― called the Financial Choice Act ― has little chance of passing the Senate in its current form.

Plan sponsors need to understand how the regulation affects their roles and communication efforts — and should pay attention to exemptions.

Given the range of personnel who will be expected to understand the law, advance planning by employers will be critical.

Retirement specialists are likely to increasingly turn to recordkeepers to provide data that justifies adviser fees through strong plan performance.

Keep in mind that there is no fee structure free of conflict, cheaper doesn’t mean better and recommendations don’t come in a vacuum, says investment strategist Jess DeGabriele.

Higher compliance requirements, and their associated costs, may drive firms to look for partners.

Lawsuits against Cigna self-insured plans for alleged fraudulent behavior is a warning for employers that there will be more, says attorney Brenna A. Davenport.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to keep in place the ACA’s protection against higher health-insurance premiums for people with pre-existing conditions when they buy individual coverage.

If the GOP moves forward with it, companies will lose a major incentive to provide benefits and the true problem — reducing costs — will not be addressed, says adviser Craig Hasday.

If the GOP moves forward with it, companies will lose a major incentive to provide benefits and the true problem — reducing costs — will not be addressed, says adviser Craig Hasday.

Advisers and trade groups are monitoring congressional talk reexamining the tax-favored standing of workplace savings plans.

In defending the unpopular and flawed House bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, a common Republican refrain is that it fully protects health-insurance coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Move could affect the 177 million workers who receive coverage through their employers.

A federal district court has recently ruled that a transgender worker may proceed with her discrimination claims under the ADA.

Although enactment takes place on June 9, the DOL could issue more changes before the full effect of the rule is felt, says attorney Ilene H. Ferenczy.

Learning about employers’ existing processes, documenting every step of DI leave and relying on compliance law will put a company on strong footing.