Fiduciary Is Fun!
(a.k.a. I heart taxes)
(a.k.a. I heart taxes)
Northrup Grumman recently settled a lawsuit (while denying all liability for the claims and maintaining they were without fault, of course) for a little over $12mm. This case is not unlike many suits brought against large retirement plans in recent years. The arguments of “unreasonable fees” and “fund mismanagement” are well trodden paths in 2020, and these were the allegations against Northrup Grumman.
What is interesting, however, is that Northrup Grumman was not a fiduciary with respect to its retirement plan. In fact, almost 2 years ago the court actually dismissed most all the claims against the company itself. Northrup Grumman was very clever in its establishment of its retirement plan and specifically designated 2 committees – an Administrative Committee and an Investment Committee – to serve as the plan’s administrator and named planned fiduciaries. They outsourced fiduciary responsibilities to two committees! Clever! So, if Northrup Grumman was not a fiduciary to its own retirement plan and therefore can’t actually be found guilty for any violation of a breach of fiduciary responsibility, why then did it recently settle for $12mm??? The answer to this question lies in ERISA Section 1002(21)(A) which says that the ability to appoint, retain, and remove plan fiduciaries is itself a fiduciary responsibility and there is an ongoing duty to monitor those who you appoint. I recognize this is a fine point, but very important. In 2018 when the court dismissed most all the counts against Northrup Grumman, one they did not dismiss was the duty to monitor other fiduciaries they appointed, i.e. those 2 Committees! It’s another way of the court saying, “Ok, Northrup, we’ll let you out of all those direct charges against you, but if those two committees acted improperly, guess what, you’re still liable!” Today it is very common for plan sponsors to appoint investment advisors, investment managers, and even Plan Administrators who make the pitch that by appointing them the employer is relieved of fiduciary responsibility. If you are such a company, how well do you know your advisor? How well is he or she performing those duties for which you are no longer responsible? Everything good??? You sure?? If you have any concerns about the duties for which you might still be held responsible, give me a call as I would love to visit with you about how to establish a proper fiduciary governance program to help ensure you are never left holding the fiduciary bag at claim time. Pete Welsh a/k/a 401kGuy
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