Gina Alsdorf

Gina Alsdorf focuses her practice on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and its fiduciary provisions, the Internal Revenue Code, the regulation of individual retirement accounts, and other employee benefit plans. She advises on complex issues involving the creation, marketing, and operation of retirement products, platforms, and service providers for platform providers, trust banks, registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, third-party administrators, and insurance companies.

Gina has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, working with regulators, plan fiduciaries, investment professionals, and business owners on complex issues involving ERISA, employee benefit plans, banking, securities, annuities, privacy, and related tax matters.

As a former in-house counsel, Gina has a deep understanding of the inner workings of financial institutions and investment platforms. For more than a decade, she has held various senior roles counseling executives in the financial services industry. In addition, Gina has past experience serving as in-house counsel for a third-party administrator and as a former investigator for the Employee Benefits Security Administration. She draws on her first-hand experience, having worked on all sides of transactions and advising on the many facets of the retirement plan industry, to deliver strategic technical guidance, creative problem-solving, and practical business advice in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.

In addition to her work in benefits, Gina is passionate about new and emerging technologies such as blockchain and their application to the financial services industry, and is a certified fintech expert by the Blockchain Council. Recognized as a thought leader and speaker in the field of ERISA and employee benefit plans, she remains at the forefront of industry advancements, continuously striving to drive innovation and solutions for her clients. She is also a contributing author to the 403(b) Answer Book (Wolters Kluwer, 16th ed.), the leading resource providing comprehensive guidance on section 403(b) plans, 501(c)(3) organizations, and church plans.

• Advised several national insurance carriers and IMOs on compliance with the DOL’s fiduciary rule and prohibited transaction exemptions in connection with rollover and annuity sales practices.
• Represent major financial institution in the design, marketing, and distribution of ERISA-compliant investment products, including collective investment trusts, wrap contracts, and group annuity contracts.
• Counsel insurers on structuring annuity contracts to be guaranteed benefit contracts to avoid the underlying funds being considered ERISA assets.
• Provide ERISA and fiduciary training to financial professionals and product development teams at investment firms to ensure regulatory compliance and mitigate litigation risk.
• Successfully represented large complex financial institutions in connection with DOL, IRS, and SEC investigations in the plan provider space.
• Draft group annuity contracts and related documentation for pension risk transfer (PRT) transactions on behalf of insurers.
• Advised national carrier on the launch of a new financial education platform with embedded financial product marketplace.
• Draft marketing support agreements and platform participation agreements for various financial services companies.
• Provide legal analysis regarding the application of ERISA’s plan asset rules to collective investment funds managed by financial institutions.
• Advised national insurer on creation of integrated HSA.
• Advise entities on development of cryptocurrency-based products and blockchain use in the insurance space. 
• Successfully counseled insurance company on ERISA excessive fee class action litigation involving retirement plans; putative class was not certified.
• Advised financial institution of AML rules and KYC process requirements in the context of retirement plans. 
• Provide education and ongoing counsel to plan fiduciaries for various midsize to large retirement plans.
• Advise retirement plan record-keepers and providers on machine learning and other AI uses in operations.

• American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries
• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
  • Fellow (2023)
• Insured Retirement Institute
  • Vice Chair, Retirement Plans and Tax Committee (2023)
• National Tax-Deferred Savings Association
• SPARK Institute
  • Public Relations Committee (2022–2023)
• D.C. Bar
• Washington State Bar Association
• Women in Pension Network

• "Cryptocurrency Regulation: What Lawyers Need to Know Now," National Association of Women Lawyers (May 21, 2026)
• "Charting the Uncharted: Private Investments in the Retail Market," National Association for Fixed Annuities (April 29, 2026)
• "Navigating the Uncharted: Alternative Assets in Defined Contribution Plans," National Institute of Pension Administrators (March 3, 2026)
• "Stablecoins," ACLI Innovation Committee Meeting (January 15, 2026)
• "Crypto, Life Insurance, and Regulation: The Next Frontier in Financial Innovation," ACLI Annual Conference 2025, Nashville, TN (October 16, 2025)
• "Blockchain, Smart Contracts, and Cryptocurrency Regulation," Northeastern Illinois University (September 21, 2025)
• "RMDs - Really Messy Distributions," 2025 NIPA Annual Forum and Expo, National Institute of Pension Administrators, Austin, TX (May 4, 2025)
• "Maximizing Lifetime Income Opportunities in the New Administration," 2025 IRI Annual Conference, Tampa, FL (March 27, 2025)
• "Compliance Investigations," ACLI Compliance & Legal Sections Annual Meeting 2024, Fort Lauderdale, FL (July 23, 2024)
• "DOL & Cutter Litigation Updates," 2024 NAFA Annuity Leadership Forum, Washington, D.C. (June 24, 2024)
• "Navigating the Matrix: Fiduciary Investment Advice," National Association for Fixed Annuities (June 19, 2024)

• Assistant Vice President and Senior Counsel, Lincoln Financial, Radnor, PA (2021–2024)
• Senior Counsel, Guideline Inc., San Mateo, CA (2019–2021)
• Managing Counsel, Retirement Plans, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Group, Columbus, OH (2017–2019)
• Assistant General Counsel, Retirement Plans, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Group, Columbus, OH (2013–2017)
• Attorney, ERISA NC LLC, Cary, NC (2012–2013)
• Assistant General Counsel, Guidant Financial Group, Bellevue, WA (2009–2012)
• Investigator, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Seattle, WA (2001–2004)