Retirement and ERISA Rules: Protecting Your Future with Smart Planning
- Miguel Virgen, PhD Student in Business
- Nov 10, 2025
- 5 min read
Planning for retirement has always been one of the most important aspects of personal financial management. In the United States, millions of workers rely on employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k)s and pensions, to ensure financial stability after they stop working. But ensuring that these plans are managed responsibly and fairly requires regulation—and that’s where ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, comes into play. ERISA was designed to protect employees’ retirement assets by setting minimum standards for most voluntarily established retirement and health plans in the private sector. Before ERISA, employees often faced uncertainty regarding whether their promised benefits would actually be available when they retired. Mismanagement of pension funds and inconsistent oversight left many workers vulnerable. ERISA changed that by introducing a legal framework to ensure that employers meet their fiduciary responsibilities and that employees receive the benefits they earn.
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