Retirement Plan Litigation Set to Skyrocket in 2020?Hold on to your seat, we believe history will repeat itself! According to the Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs, ERISA Litigation Tracker (2018), plan litigation increased 494% between 2007 and 2008, the last significant market meltdown. We believe that human nature will drive this to happen again in 2020 and 2021! This should be concerning news to plan sponsors and, in particular, plan fiduciaries who can be held personally liable to restore plan losses for lack of fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities! To make matters worse, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) enforcement results are off the charts. To illustrate this, we’ve compiled the 2019 DOL enforcement stats into a quick read - see the infographic below. Between participant litigation on the launchpad and the DOL’s enforcement activities already in orbit, 2020 and 2021 should be very "interesting" years. It would be very prudent to get your house order now. Please contact your plan advisor for guidance or reach out to Stonebridge Financial Group for an independent assessment and action plan of the steps you should be taking now to eliminate your risk. |