Legal

Calling himself the 401(k) lab rat, Richard Schmitt has been day trading within his 401(k) plan for the past three years.

The 214,000 West Virginians covered by the Public Employees Insurance Agency can expect some new or higher health care copayments while retired enrollees will see a limit to the subsidy that helps them pay premiums, which will rise 9 percent, under provisions approved Tuesday by the agency's finance board.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. has settled allegations by the U.S. Department of Labor that the company and one of its employees violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by failing to prevent the fiduciaries of two Alabama pension plans from engaging in prohibited transactions.

The U.S. Department of Labors newly revised interim policy on electronic disclosure clarifies that plan administrators and their service providers will not be out of compliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) if they use continuous access websites to impart required disclosure information.

Convenience comes at a price. Sometimes its quality. Sometimes its cost.

As we approach the end of the year, I'd like to take time to reflect on a few pieces of legislation introduced in 2011 that have potential to improve or encourage retirement planning, but may not live to see the light of day. Plus, some quirky bills that havent got...