Tracking every rollback, reversal, and overreach — and the path back to the America we know.
Executive Order 14330 broadens investment options for 401(k) retirement accounts to include alternative assets beyond traditional stocks and bonds. The order aims to increase retirement savings flexibility and potentially improve returns for American investors. This expands the types of investments available to workers saving for retirement through employer-sponsored plans.
President Trump signed Executive Order 13847 on August 31, 2018, directing the Department of Labor to expand access to retirement savings plans for small businesses and self-employed workers through Association Retirement Accounts (ARAs). The order simplified regulations to allow small employers to pool resources and offer 401(k)-style plans with reduced compliance costs. The confirmed direct effect was increased eligibility for small business employees to access employer-sponsored retirement savings options previously available primarily to larger corporations.
On February 3, 2017, President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-02656 directing the Department of Labor to review the fiduciary duty rule requiring financial advisors to act in clients' best interests when managing retirement accounts. The memorandum instructed the Labor Department to examine the rule's impact on retirement savings and consider revising or rescinding it. The review process delayed enforcement of the rule and ultimately led to a revised fiduciary standard that narrowed the scope of who must comply with best-interest obligations when advising on retirement accounts.