Benefit Communications in an Electronic World With communication mediums like email, text, and IM’s becoming the standard in business industries worldwide, plan sponsors are becoming increasingly interested in abandoning paper processes for a more electronic means of communication with plan participants and beneficiaries. Since e-delivery is not an “all or nothing” prospect, this new approach…
DetailsDealing with Uncashed Distribution Checks and Missing Participants It is estimated that uncashed checks account for billions of dollars, representing a fortune of uncollected funds belonging to plan participants or beneficiaries that they are not able to use and also represent serious issues for fiduciaries. Uncashed distribution checks occur when retirement plan participants fail to…
DetailsRules and Taxation of 401(k) Plan Distributions 401(k) plan permits employees to defer a portion of their salaries on a pre-tax basis with the objective of accumulating assets for retirement. Additional assets are accumulated if the employer makes contributions to the participant’s account. With today’s mobile workforce, many distributions are made before retirement because employees…
DetailsKeeping Abreast of Plan Loan Rules If you have a 401(k) plan, you’ve likely had participants ask about taking loans from their accounts. If you haven’t yet, it is only a matter of time. While the concept of taking a loan is pretty straightforward—you borrow money, you repay it with interest—there are some pretty detailed…
DetailsDOL Issues New Fiduciary Rule August 2016 Newsletter On April 8, 2016 the Department of Labor (DOL) issued final guidance that greatly expands the types of retirement investment advice that will be subject to the fiduciary duty rules under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The so-called “conflict of interest” rule for…
DetailsFun with Forfeitures June 2016 Newsletter Sooner or later, almost all 401(k) plans will face the “fun” of dealing with forfeitures. Just like every other plan-related operational item, there are specific rules that provide guidance on the “who, what, why, when and where” of using forfeitures. What is a forfeiture? Putting it simply, a forfeiture…
DetailsA Fresh Look at Your Form 5500 Filing April 2016 Newsletter If your firm has a profit sharing plan, a 401(k) plan or some other tax-qualified retirement plan, then you have been given a Form 5500 to sign and file every year since your business adopted the plan. While the form looks like most other…
DetailsPart-Time Employees in 401(k) Plans February 2016 Newsletter More and more businesses are hiring part-time, seasonal or temporary employees (collectively referred to in this newsletter as “part-time employees”). Employers believe the advantages to using this alternative workforce include lower wages and significant savings in terms of not providing employee benefits to these individuals. Unfortunately, many…
DetailsDetermining Retirement Plan Compensation December 2015 Newsletter When it comes to operating your retirement plan, determining the compensation that should be used for each participant can be really confusing. It seems like it should be simple, but the reality is quite different. In fact, the rules can be so confusing that using an incorrect definition…
DetailsA Plan Fiduciary’s Responsibilities October 2015 Newsletter Many employers establish retirement plans without being fully aware of their fiduciary responsibilities. It is imperative to know whether you are a fiduciary and, if so, what your responsibilities are because there are risks for the unwary. A fiduciary that breaches any obligation or duty can be held…
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