Down with DOMA December 2013 Newsletter Signed into law in 1996, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a small law that has caused big controversy. Introduction and Background DOMA is small in the sense that it consists of only three sentences, making it shorter to include the full text of the law here…
How Do You Spell Relief? E-P-C-R-S October 2013 Newsletter Retirement plans are complicated beasts. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 was more than 1,000 pages long; one of the main reference books that retirement plan professionals use is more than 7,000 pages long; and there are countless other sets of rules and regulations that add…
Cross-Testing: The Right Tool for Many Jobs August 2013 Newsletter As the national economy continues its recovery, more and more businesses are beginning to see their financial situations improve to near pre-recession levels. Companies that have not thought about making profit sharing contributions for years are starting to consider their options. Just as the economy…
Under Control or Out of Control June 2013 Newsletter In today’s business climate, it seems it is becoming increasingly common for businesses of all sizes to be structured using multiple companies. Maybe a business person is pursuing multiple ventures with different groups of co-owners. Perhaps a company decides to offer a new product or…
When Good Loans Go Bad April 2013 Newsletter The economic environment of the last few years created financial challenges for individuals and businesses alike. Even though the worst of the recession appears to be behind us now, some of those financial challenges have had a ripple effect that continues to show itself. One area where…
Don’t let Missing Participants and Small Balances become a Big Problem At some point, almost every company that sponsors a retirement plan will experience the “fun” of tracking down a missing participant in order to pay a benefit. Although difficult to avoid completely, there are steps employers can implement as part of normal operations…