The fiduciary that holds responsibility over a given financial account. The named fiduciary is responsible for operating and administering a qualified retirement plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which is meant to protect participants in private-sector retirement plans. The named fiduciary is required to act in the plan participants’ best interests. However, the named fiduciary is not required to be a financial expert, so it may choose to appoint an investment manager to oversee the plan’s assets.

The named fiduciary is just one of several types of fiduciaries involved in running a qualified retirement plan. Others include the plan administrator, trustee, investment manager and investment advisor. A fiduciary who mismanages a plan can be held personally liable.