Part-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…
DetailsThe IRS is Back with Some Brand New Corrections August 2015 Newsletter Let’s face it. Finding out that the IRS wants to poke around is not going to be the highlight of anyone’s day. Voluntarily admitting a mistake to the IRS and asking for forgiveness is probably even lower on the wish list! So hearing…
DetailsThe Best Plan to Drive Your Retirement Needs June 2015 Newsletter Excuse me, can you tell me what kind of car is best for me? It is impossible to answer that question without getting more information…how will the car be used? What is the budget? For fuel efficiency and driving in a crowded downtown area,…
DetailsAutomatic Enrollment for 401(k) Plans April 2015 Newsletter McDonald’s may have been the automatic enrollment pioneer 30 years ago, but it wasn’t until 2008 when the new Pension Protection Act rules kicked in that it really started to gain serious momentum. Since that time, articles have regularly extolled the virtues and almost every new…
DetailsTiming is Everything February 2015 Newsletter For years now, we have been hearing from the Department of Labor (DOL) about the importance of depositing employee 401(k) deferrals and loan payments as quickly as possible. While that continues to be the case, it seems that there is not nearly as much commentary about when to deposit…
DetailsYear-End Compliance Testing Overview December 2014 Newsletter The end of the calendar year is fast approaching which means the plan year end for many qualified plans. It will be time for plan sponsors to collect complete employee data to enable their service providers to perform the numerous compliance tests required to retain the plans tax…
DetailsHardship Distributions from 401(k) Plans October 2014 Newsletter Manager’s office. It’s Zachary, a fairly new employee who entered the company’s 401(k) plan last month. He’s been deferring $40 a week into the plan, which means he has accumulated $160 by now. But last night his cable TV was shut off because he couldn’t afford to…
DetailsThe Ultimate Plan Sponsor Checklist August 2014 Newsletter While they don’t have a book called Retirement Plan Sponsorship for Dummies, they should. So in the interim, here is a checklist that plan sponsors should review that can help them develop good practices and avoid unnecessary liability in their stewardship of retirement plans for their employees. Do…
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