Alternative Assets (2)—the Executive Order and Proposed Regulation Continued
In my last post, Alternative Assets (1), I said that a surprise in the DOL’s proposed regulation on selecting investments was that it went beyond alternative assets and asset allocation investments, which were the focus of last August’s Executive Order, and instead applied to all investments in participant-directed plans—both traditional and alternative. There were other […]
Alternative Assets (1)—the Executive Order and Proposed Regulation
The Employee Benefit Security Administration (EBSA) of the US Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed regulation on the selection of investments for participant-directed plans, such as 401(k) plans. 2026-06178.pdf The Beginning: An Executive Order The proposal is the direct result of an August 7, 2025 White House Executive Order (EO) entitled “Democratizing Access […]
Things I Worry About (17): Executive Orders, Private Funds, and Fiduciary Standards (3)
Key Takeaways The Trump administration has issued an Executive Order about facilitating 401(k) investments in “alternative assets.” The Order directs the Secretary of Labor to examine current guidance and decide if it is appropriate for that purpose. The Order also directs the Secretary of Labor to issue guidance to clarify fiduciary responsibilities for 401(k) investing […]
Things I Worry About (16): Executive Orders, Private Funds, and Fiduciary Standards (2)
Key Takeaways My last post, Things I Worry About (15), was an overview of the Trump administration’s Executive Order about facilitating investing in “alternative assets” in 401(k) plans. The article was my reading of the EO and my thoughts on what it meant. For this post, I turned to ChatGPT and asked it to summarize […]