While the basic duties sound easy enough, a plethora of recent cases demonstrates the prudence of constant review of the retirement plan decision-making process. The recent U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rule on fiduciary conflicts of interest expands the duty of a fiduciary detailed in ERISA 401(a)(1) to act solely in the interests of participants and beneficiaries. Similarly, rulings on the fiduciary duty of prudence centered on breaches that were due to failure to monitor.

In Tibble v. Edison, the lower courts found that the trustees offered no credible explanation for offering high-price mutual funds. While this was a breach of fiduciary duty, part of the case was dismissed because of a six-year statute of limitations. The Supreme Court found that the fiduciary duty to select a prudent investment does not end once that decision is made: ERISA's fiduciary duty is derived from the common law of trusts. As such, a trustee has a continuing duty to monitor, and remove imprudent, trust investments. Therefore, the six-year statute was only a starting point for the ongoing duty to monitor any fiduciary decision. This case was remanded back to the lower courts for review.

Enact procedural prudence. In each of the ERISA fiduciary cases, courts focused on "how" a decision was made. Did the fiduciaries document their decision and how they arrived at it? Deciding not to act is a decision. Document both decisions and the progression to an eventual decision. Did the fiduciaries seek expert advice when warranted? The courts are not looking for the right answer using the benefit of hindsight. They are looking for an answer that a prudent person familiar with the situation could have arrived at. When fiduciaries document a prudent decision-making process, unfavorable legal decisions should not become an issue.