Allen Steinberg : Perspectives

Employee benefit plans—especially retirement and health care—have become an increasingly important part of the employment relationship. For employers, these plans represent an important part of the total compensation package, a tool for retention and recruitment, and a growing financial and compliance burden. For employees, these plans represent a key part of their overall financial security and wellbeing, a financial burden, and a source of complexity and frustration. In effect, it’s complicated. Our firm is dedicated to helping employers manage these complexities and focus on the important things.

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Allen Steinberg

23.01.2026 02.34 CST

A new wave of ERISA litigation challenges employer oversight of voluntary benefit plans, raising questions about fiduciary duties, broker compensation, and plan governance.

The Next Wave of Fiduciary Challenges

New ERISA lawsuits target voluntary benefit plans, alleging fiduciary breaches by employers and brokers over commissions, fees, and plan oversight.

ERISA fiduciary litigation Fiduciary Duties Prohibited transactions voluntary benefits

Recent ERISA class actions allege failures in oversight of voluntary benefit plans, extending fiduciary and excessive-fee scrutiny beyond retirement programs.

Allen Steinberg

02.12.2025 10.49 CST

The Minnesota paid family and medical leave law introduces major payroll, tax, and retirement plan implications for employers. Learn how taxable payments, premium structures, and compensation definitions affect your benefit plans—and what steps to take before 2026.

Minnesota Paid Leave Law: A Law of Unintended Consequences

Minnesota’s paid family leave law affects payroll, taxes, and retirement plans. Learn key employer responsibilities and compensation impacts for 2026.

family leave Minnesota Paid Leave

Allen Steinberg

09.09.2025 10.28 CDT

SEC penalizes Empower and Vanguard for inadequate managed account disclosures

Empower and Vanguard Penalized for Undisclosed Conflicts

On August 29, the SEC issued orders against units of Empower and Vanguard for inadequate and misleading disclosure regarding the firms’ conflicts of interest in promoting their managed account products.

conflicts of interest Disclosure SEC

The SEC has issued orders against Empower and Vanguard for inadequate and misleading disclosure regarding the sales of the firms’ managed account products.