Erisa Section 404 C Plan
However since this is an exception and not a rule plan fiduciaries remain liable for the selection and monitoring of all investment options made available to the participant.
Erisa section 404 c plan. Ii provides a participant or beneficiary an opportunity to choose from a broad range of investment alternatives the manner in which some or all of the assets in his account are invested see paragraph b 3 of. Final regulations under section 404 c 5 a of the employee retirement income security act of 1974 29 u s c. To take advantage of erisa section 404 c the plan must satisfy three categories of requirements.
An erisa section 404 c plan is an individual account plan described in section 3 34 of the act that. Added protection makes it worth the effort section 404 c of erisa dates all the way back to 1974 but plan sponsors and fiduciary service providers are still trying to figure out what it means for their defined contribution dc plans. This protection applies only to participant directed investments and not to investments required under the plan or directed by the plan sponsor.
This protection applies only to participant directed investments and not to investments required under the plan or directed by the plan sponsor such as employer stock. I provides an opportunity for a participant or beneficiary to exercise control over assets in his individual account see paragraph b 2 of this section. An employee may want to direct their own retirement account so they can control how much of their savings are being invested into what types of companies.
Section 404 c is a specific part of this law that permits employees to direct the investment of their own retirement accounts. If the erisa plan satisfies 404 c fiduciaries would not be liable for any claim of a breach related to a participant s selection of investments. Erisa section 404 c may offer plan fiduciaries a measure of protection against litigation related to qualified workplace retirement savings plans even in instances where a participant fails to provide investment direction.
Erisa 404 c relieves plan sponsors and other fiduciaries from liability for losses resulting from participants direction of their investments. I provides an opportunity for a participant or beneficiary to exercise control over assets in his individual account see paragraph b 2 of this section. This is an overview of erisa section 404 c compliance.
Compliance with the requirements of erisa section 404 c may relieve plan fiduciaries of liability for investment losses resulting from a plan participant s or beneficiary s exercise of control over assets in his individual account and other requirements are met. Ii provides a participant or beneficiary an opportunity to choose from a broad range of investment alternatives the manner in which some or all of the assets in his account are invested see paragraph b 3 of this section. The employee retirement income security act of 1974 erisa is a federal law that establishes the standards for private pension plans such as 401 k s and 403 b s.