The Retirement Reform Group (RRG) is an informal, nonpartisan working group of more than 100 active and retired employee benefits lawyers committed to improving the U.S. retirement system for lower- and moderate-income workers.

For an overview of our work, see our Home page. For examples of our research, analysis, and outreach, visit our Solutions Library.

What We Do

The group focuses on identifying how the tax‑subsidized retirement system can work better for lower‑ and moderate‑income workers, developing practices and policy solutions that can be implemented by policymakers, employers, and other stakeholders, and conducting outreach to share our research, analysis, and solutions.

Origin

In 2024, a group of Fellows of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Inc. (ACEBC®) — some active, some retired, and located across the country — began talking informally about lagging retirement savings among lower- and moderate-income workers. Those discussions reflected shared concerns about issues such as:

• Limited access to employer-sponsored retirement plans
• Shifting responsibility for savings and investment risk onto workers
• Higher investment fees that disproportionately affect those with lower savings
• The reality that many lower‑ and moderate‑income workers simply do not have extra income to save

We had many ideas and opinions about possible ways to improve the retirement system. About 30 Fellows joined an initial organizing meeting to explore whether a more structured, ongoing informal collaboration could help move reform ideas forward. From those discussions, the Retirement Reform Group emerged in 2025, and membership quickly grew to more than 100. The group set up its own dedicated listserv and began holding monthly meetings organized in specialized subgroups addressing areas of retirement reform for lower- and moderate-income workers.

Members

Who can join
Membership in the Retirement Reform Group is open to any Fellow of ACEBC, a designation honoring significant contributions to the field of employee benefits law.

While the Retirement Reform Group is open only to Fellows of ACEBC, it is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or otherwise affiliated with ACEBC.

Our perspectives
Our members are active and retired lawyers with experience in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and other employee benefits laws, including plan design, compliance, policy, and litigation. Collectively, we bring decades of service in private practice, in‑house legal departments, academia, nonprofit organizations, and government roles in legislative, regulatory, and other policy environments.

That depth and diversity of experience are central to the strength of the group. It allows the Retirement Reform Group to examine the effect of complex proposals on many stakeholders.

Members participate in their individual capacities, and their views do not necessarily represent any firm, employer, client, or organization.

How the Group Operates

The Retirement Reform Group works through member-driven collaboration: members participate in their individual capacities, identify topics where they see potential to improve outcomes for lower- and moderate-income workers, and develop and refine proposals together.

We currently have five subgroups:

• Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)
• Defined Contribution Plans
• Defined Benefit Plans
• Education
• Equity

Members collaborate to write articles, submit agency comments, and speak at conferences and other events.

To explore our policy ideas and work products, visit the Solutions Library. For speaking, collaboration, or press inquiries, please use the contact information on our Home page.