Groom Law Group has added Gina Alsdorf to its Retirement Services Practice, expanding the firm’s capabilities across fiduciary regulation, retirement products and financial-services compliance.
Alsdorf brings more than 20 years of retirement-industry experience advising insurers, recordkeepers, asset managers and other financial institutions on the legal and regulatory issues affecting retirement products and services.
Her practice has included the development and distribution of retirement-plan offerings, including collective investment trusts, lifetime-income solutions and other investment products used across the defined contribution market.
She has also advised plan sponsors, recordkeepers, asset managers, insurers and other financial institutions on the broader regulatory environment governing retirement services.
The addition strengthens Groom’s ability to advise clients as the retirement market becomes increasingly complex and providers expand beyond traditional recordkeeping and investment offerings.
Collective investment trusts, for example, have become an increasingly important part of retirement-plan investment menus, particularly among larger defined contribution plans. These vehicles can offer institutional investors access to pooled investment strategies while operating under a different regulatory framework from mutual funds.
Lifetime-income solutions are another growing area of focus.
Retirement providers and plan sponsors are increasingly evaluating products designed to help participants convert accumulated savings into dependable income after retirement. These strategies can involve annuities, guaranteed-income features and other structures that introduce additional fiduciary, operational and regulatory considerations.
Alsdorf’s experience across those areas adds depth to Groom’s work with clients developing and distributing increasingly sophisticated retirement products.
Before joining Groom, Alsdorf held senior in-house legal roles with three major retirement-plan providers.
That experience gives her direct perspective on the legal, compliance and operational challenges faced by companies building and administering retirement platforms.
In-house attorneys often work closely with business, product and compliance teams, which can provide practical insight into how regulatory requirements affect product development, distribution and day-to-day operations.
Alsdorf began her career as an investigator with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.
EBSA is responsible for enforcing major provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, including fiduciary requirements applicable to employee benefit plans.
That background gives Alsdorf experience with both the regulatory enforcement side of the retirement industry and the private-sector compliance challenges facing financial institutions.
ERISA fiduciary standards continue to influence how retirement products are designed, selected and monitored.
Plan sponsors and fiduciaries must evaluate investment options, service providers, fees and potential conflicts while financial institutions must consider how their products fit within those obligations.
Groom advises clients across those issues, including plan governance, fiduciary responsibilities and the legislative, regulatory and enforcement developments affecting retirement and employee-benefits markets.
The firm also represents financial institutions that provide investment, recordkeeping and other services to retirement plans.
Alsdorf’s addition broadens that capability by bringing experience across product development, retirement services and fiduciary regulation.
As retirement providers continue expanding investment options, lifetime-income products and technology-enabled services, legal and compliance considerations are becoming increasingly interconnected with product strategy.
KEY QUOTES:
“Gina’s background in financial services and practical approach to navigating complex ERISA issues will be invaluable to our clients. Her experience and expertise further strengthen our ability to help employers, fiduciaries, and financial institutions achieve their objectives.”
Michael Kreps, Co-Head of the Retirement Services Practice at Groom Law Group
