Employee Benefits Update
Showing 49–64 of 395 results
-
How plan eligibility can help achieve recruitment goals
Year End 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 587
Abstract: In a tight labor market, employees may feel more confident about finding another job if they’re unhappy with the one they have. For plan sponsors, 401(k) plan participation eligibility requirements take on greater significance in this market. In general, employers can require a new hire to wait a year before being eligible to participate in a qualified retirement plan, in addition to requiring that the employee be 21 years old. This article discusses the pros and cons of giving new employees the opportunity to enroll in the plan immediately.
-
RMDs and “lost” participants – Steps to comply with your fiduciary duty
Year End 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 920
Abstract: Losing contact with former participants who have vested benefits remaining in your plan can be problematic for both the former participants and the plan sponsor. The issue becomes more urgent when it’s time for them to begin receiving their required minimum distributions (RMDs) the year after they hit 70½. This article takes a look at why it’s a problem and what plan sponsors can do about it.
-
COMPLIANCE ALERT
October / November 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 125
Abstract: This feature lists a few key tax reporting deadlines for October and November.
-
New exempt status income threshold could impact 401(k) plan costs
October / November 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 408
Abstract: The 401(k) plan employer contribution formula for hourly employees that includes overtime pay may increase plan costs next year — along with overtime pay outlays. That’s because of the Department of Labor’s proposed revised rule increasing the income threshold for overtime pay eligibility that’s expected to kick in after the final rule is published. This short article reviews the proposed rule and what it means for plan sponsors.
-
Warn participants of the risks of front-loaded deferrals
October / November 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 473
Abstract: Some 401(k) plan participants have been known to shoot themselves in the foot when taking aim at higher investment returns. Some of these individuals may not be open to advice, but plan sponsors can still provide information about the dangers of firing blindly and expecting to hit a target. This article looks at a case in point: front-loading deferrals in hopes of boosting returns over the course of the year.
-
IRS liberalizes availability of self-correction program for plan “failures”
October / November 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 620
Abstract: A recent IRS Revenue Procedure allows plan sponsors to jump through fewer hoops to fix several so-called “plan failures” relating to plan loans. Specifically, plan sponsors can now fix more categories of loan glitches using the streamlined Self-Correction Program (SCP) under the IRS’s umbrella Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, instead of the more burdensome Voluntary Correction Program (VCP). This article highlights what plan sponsors need to know about the changes.
-
Will a merger or acquisition upend your 401(k) plan? Beware of ERISA entanglements and higher costs
October / November 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 1071
Abstract: Companies contemplating buying another company, or a division of one, must assess and plan for the impact on their 401(k) plan, and that of the company they’re acquiring, before pulling the trigger. The same applies for companies on the receiving end of an acquisition (though they might not be able to do as much if they’re the acquisition target). This article reviews the important decisions that companies must make regarding 401(k) plans when part of a merger or acquisition. A short sidebar reviews two ways to merge 401(k) plans.
-
COMPLIANCE ALERT
August / September 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 73
Abstract: This feature lists a few key tax reporting deadlines for September.
-
Make your SPDs user-friendly
August / September 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 327
Abstract: The text of a summary plan description (SPD) is usually the product of a tug-of-war between cautious ERISA attorneys who worry about the use of general, simple statements, and human resources professionals familiar with their average employees’ reading level. The attorneys often tug harder, and the result is a document that many employees pick up, glance at, and promptly toss. This article discusses why that’s not a good outcome.
-
DB plan de-risking strategies in full swing
August / September 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 536
Abstract: Private sector employers have been retreating from the defined benefit (DB) pension model for decades. This is largely motivated by a desire to “de-risk” the company from a financial obligation that’s as variable as financial market behavior. More recently, holdouts on that trend have been given new motivation to depart from the DB design: escalating Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premiums. 2015 legislation set the stage for annual increases through 2019, after which the increases will be indexed for inflation. This article examines what plan sponsors of DB plans need to know about de-risking their plans.
-
Time for class – Widening the scope of training for retirement plan committee members
August / September 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 767
Abstract: Learning the ropes of overseeing a retirement plan isn’t a “one and done” exercise. Periodic training updates for retirement plan committee members acting in a fiduciary capacity is a prudent approach to ensuring that they maintain the current knowledge essential to carry out their duties. This article reviews why it’s important to ensure that new committee members get a strong grounding in plan operations and their responsibilities promptly on being appointed to a plan committee, if not before. A sidebar discusses whether following the “prudent man rule” is sufficient for retirement plan fiduciaries to perform their duties effectively.
-
Is it time to give a fresh look at “alts” in retirement plans?
August / September 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 861
Abstract: Are many plan participants gaining the benefit of a truly broad diversification of retirement portfolio assets? The answer might depend on whether they’re covered by a defined benefit (DB) plan or a defined contribution (DC) plan. This article takes a look at why DB plans offering “alternative” investments, also known as alts, may make a big difference.
-
COMPLIANCE ALERT
June / July 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 137
Abstract: This feature lists a few key tax reporting deadlines for June and July.
-
Appeals court sacks spouse’s attempt for QDRO
June / July 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 406
Abstract: What makes a domestic relations order a qualified domestic relations order, or QDRO? The distinction is essential for retirement plan administrators when deciding whether to accept a state court’s instructions to turn over some portion of a plan participant’s (or, in some cases, a deceased participant’s) retirement plan assets to an “alternate payee.” This article briefly looks at this difference, as it was part of a legal battle waged by the former spouse of a deceased professional football player covered by the NFL’s retirement plan.
-
Not every plan that benefits retirees is an ERISA plan
June / July 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 594
Abstract: The fact that a compensation arrangement can provide a substantial source of income in retirement doesn’t make it subject to ERISA. That was the result the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit delivered to three former partners of Booz Allen, a consulting company. This article reviews the case, which serves as a helpful primer on the definitional limits of an ERISA “retirement” plan.
-
ERISA disclosure 101: A quick overview of plan sponsor obligations
June / July 2019
Newsletter: Employee Benefits Update
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 721
Abstract: Qualified retirement plan sponsors are subject to many disclosure requirements. This article provides a “top ten” (and thus incomplete) list of key required defined contribution plan disclosure documents from the Department of Labor (DOL), offered to reinforce a general understanding of those requirements. A note of caution: This list doesn’t include IRS disclosure requirements. Also, while disclosures are generally directed to plan participants, a plan beneficiary, in the case of a participant’s death, typically would also be covered by the disclosure rules.