DOL Proposes Changes to Prohibited Transaction Exemptions

Under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, a fiduciary advisor must qualify for a "prohibited transaction exemption" ("PTE") in order to receive compensation for providing fiduciary investment advice to plan sponsors, plan participants, and IRA owners. In addition to the proposed fiduciary regulation, the DOL's "Conflicts of Interest" proposal includes new proposed PTEs and proposes changes to several existing PTEs. The most significant new PTE, the proposed "best interest contract exemption," would require investment fiduciary advisors to, among other things, enter into contracts with investors that would commit the advisor to acting in the investor's best interests in order to qualify for the exemption. Links to the proposed new and amended PTEs are available here.