February 2013

Fund distributors are contractually entitled to the 12b-1 payment, not the plan, and for very specific distribution purposes. The mutual fund’s Board has already had to make a fiduciary determination that the fee is reasonable, in the best interest of the mutual fund shareholders, and that its payment complies with Rule 12b-1. Separately, the ERISA plan’s fiduciary can only permit the purchase a mutual fund which has a 12b-1 program if the amount of the 12b-1 fee is reasonable from the plan’s point of view, regardless of whether the mutual fund feels its reasonable.
Continue Reading The Dueling Fiduciary Shadows of 12b-1 Fees

There are many insurance separate accounts which really are invested like stable value funds from collective trusts, for example. But if it has guarantees of principal or interest-the “guaranteed separate account”-the risk just moves down a level, and the investor in the guaranteed separate account is still subject to an insurer’s insolvency risk. So, instead of the insurer standing up for the value of the guarantees, and how well the insolvency risk is managed and priced into the product, the risk is instead hidden and not discussed.
Continue Reading The “Stable Value” Guaranteed Separate Account; Greetings to the TE/GE Councils Annual Meeting