07.23.20

Preventing Cyber Theft of Plan Assets Before it is Too Late

In the employee benefit plan landscape, cyber theft of participant accounts is a disaster waiting to happen. Whether or not you are liable as a plan sponsor, is a situation that you do not want to be in. Fortunately, there are steps plan sponsors can take to safeguard participant accounts from cyber theft. Plan sponsors […]

06.18.20

Trending in the Right Direction With the New Electronic Disclosure Rules

The Department of Labor (DOL) issued final electronic disclosure rules on May 27, 2020. These rules provide relief from printing and mailing certain Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) notices to plan participants and beneficiaries. This relief is great news for plan sponsors of retirement plans. It is, however, not all-encompassing because it does not […]

05.06.20

CARES Act Expands Financial Options for Impacted Plan Participants
James Pellino

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed a few weeks ago in an effort to help curb the possible economic stress the Coronavirus pandemic has placed on Americans. The Act was far reaching and included many provisions regarding retirement plans and accounts. Although guidance on the CARES Act continues to come […]

04.20.20

SECURE Act 101: New Law Changes Plan Policies, Creates Design Options
James Quaid

Defined contribution plan sponsors have some important decisions to make and opportunities to consider in the wake of the enactment of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act at the end of 2019. The Act is intended to boost retirement financial security on several fronts. Offering safe harbor for annuities The SECURE […]

06.26.19

Newsbits: Giving Study Yields Disappointing Results
Kenneth Tornheim

Giving Study Yields Disappointing Results A new study based on data gathered over 15 years from more than 9,000 U.S. families offers an in-depth look into charitable giving during that period. It also includes some discouraging data. The Philanthropy Panel Study is conducted every two years by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy […]

05.13.19

Proposed IRS Regulations Liberalize Rules for Hardship Withdrawals
James Quaid

How hard should a hardship be to justify a hardship withdrawal from a 401(k) plan?  Proposed IRS regulations could enable eligible plan participants “to access their money more quickly with a minimum of red tape,” according to the IRS. Below summarizes several key provisions of the proposed regulations. The status quo To provide context for […]

01.15.18

Target Date Funds – Confusion?
James Quaid

The proliferation of target date fund (TDF) varieties can confuse many plan sponsors. One survey found that while nearly two-thirds of plan sponsors consider investment performance the most important selection criterion when choosing a TDF for their participants, more than half are not confident that they have a solid basis for benchmarking the TDFs against […]

09.05.17

What Is Buried Inside Your 401(k) or 403(b) Plan Fees?

Do you know and understand what are your 401(k) or 403(b) plan’s fees, and especially, what are inside those buried fees? Broadly speaking, retirement plan fees consist of fees and expenses associated with plan administration services, such as record keeping fees, and plan investment activities, such as investment management fees. But what are the fees buried inside your plan’s investment funds?

08.04.17

Correcting 401(k) Plan Loan Failures Voluntarily

Participant loans are a feature of many 401(k) Plans. Participants may borrow the lesser of $50,000 or 50% of the participant’s vested plan assets. Some 401(k) Plans allow a participant to have multiple loans outstanding at one time. In that scenario, the $50,000 limit is lowered by the highest outstanding loan balance during the one-year period ending on the day before the newest loan.

07.12.17

How to Handle Hardship Withdrawals
Stephanie Zaleski-Braatz

Many 401(k) plans feature a hardship withdrawal option. Both the IRS and DOL maintain strict regulations around these provisions. This article discusses how, in early 2017, the IRS issued updated audit guidelines regarding requirements for hardship withdrawals and guidance for plan sponsors on how to remedy errors in the administration of these withdrawals.