Although I usually dread Gretchen Morgenson's columns each week, this week we happen to be in agreement. She criticizes Marsh for apparently forcing employees to invest a lot of their retirement savings in Marsh stock. This is a valid criticism, although we come at it from completely different directions. Gretchen thinks anything corporate executives do is bad. I think Marsh is wrong for other reasons.

First, forced investments contaminate the signal stock ownership should send to the market as confidence in a business. It pumps up the price for artificial reasons.

Also, it's just not right to take advantage of rank-and-file workers who might not be well-versed in diversification and other investment basics. Your job should not depend on trusting your retirement savings to one company.

What to do about this? Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Companies should have to disclose mandatory investment plans. Then the market should punish them for pumping up their stock price and being bad employers.