Retirement Times

May 2023: Is your Retirement Plan "Catchy?"
By offering — and encouraging — catch-up contributions, plan sponsors can demonstrate a heightened commitment to employee retirement readiness

April 2023: Your Plan Fiduciary Must-Do and Should-Do List
When you’re a plan fiduciary, you are, of course, prioritizing what ERISA law requires of you. You have a checklist of Must-Dos.

March 2023: The Retirement Reshuffle is Impacting Plan Sponsors
Across the nation, more and more workers are expecting to postpone retirement.

February 2023: Offboarding Employees from Your 401(k) Plan
A full two-thirds of employees don’t receive guidance on managing their retirement plan benefit while offboarding.

January 2023: IPS Can Still Add Value
Investment policy statements (IPSs) are commonplace among retirement plans — with around 83% providing one.

December 2022: End the Year on a Bright Note
December brings with it an expectation of cheer, hope, and festivities. What your employees do not expect (and, frankly, don’t want) are grumpy nudges about enrollment.

November 2022: DOL Updates
In September, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released an Interpretive Bulletin that updates guidance on audits of benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

October 2022: Cybersecurity Must Be a Priority for Plan Fiduciaries
Most 401(k) plans have access to a large pool of funds, making them an attractive target for cybertheft. And while stolen funds are devastating, unauthorized transactions aren’t the only goal of cybercriminals.

September 2022: How to Design a Differentiating Benefits Package
Over the past couple of years, the so-called “Great Resignation” has led to an unprecedented number of career changes.

August 2022 : Keeping Retirees in Your Plan
According to T. Rowe Price, some sponsors may anticipate that their relationship with participants — as well as their responsibilities toward them — will naturally wind down at retirement, even though only about one in five sponsors prefer participants to leave their plans when they exit the workforce.

July 2022: Safe Harbor Plans
401(k) plans are intended to provide comparable advantages for all employees, and there are numerous safeguards in place to make sure their benefits are allocated equitably.

June 2022: Behavioral Finance
Though many employees are aware that behaviors such as enrolling in and contributing sufficiently to their company 401(k) can help them prepare for a successful retirement, too often they fail to develop the necessary saving and investing habits.

May 2022: Student Loan Debt
According to the College Board, the cost of a four-year education increased more than 200% (after inflation) from 1988 to 2018.

April 2022: Risk of 401(k) Lawsuits
When a giant organization with extensive resources gets sued for alleged ERISA compliance failures — especially if the organization’s own service offerings include reviewing for such violations — that could very well be the canary in the coalmine for all other, lesser endowed firms.

March 2022: Committee Charter
Although not legally required by ERISA, a retirement plan committee charter is a very important document for plan governance that may help fiduciaries avoid potential liabilities.

February 2022: ERISA 3(38) Fiduciary Services
Most companies and organizations’ human resources departments and C-suites are seeking efficiencies and risk mitigation for their entities.

January 2022: When Does a Participant Loan Become a Deemed Distribution?
A recent IRS Issue Snapshot (link below) affirms that a participant loan is a legally enforceable agreement and terms of the loan agreement must comply with Internal Revenue Code (IRC Section 72(p)(2) and Treasury Regulation Section 1.72(p)-1).

December 2021: Happy Holidays
2021 has been a challenging year for many of us but as we reflect
on it, we realize how important you have been to our company.

November 2021: 3 Tactics to Combat the Great Resignation
During the pandemic, workers quit their jobs in record numbers across the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

October 2021: DOL Cybersecurity Tips
In this age of relying heavily on technology, it is vital to take the necessary cyber security precautions.

September 2021: When It Comes to Financial Wellness... The Time Is Now
While one could say it’s always a good idea to focus on well-being of any type — whether that’s physical, mental, or financial wellness — there’s perhaps never been a more important time to help employees improve their financial literacy, behaviors, and resilience than right now.

Retirement Times - August 2021 -Generational Influences and Behavioral Finance
Understanding generational attitudes toward investing and the cognitive biases that can lead participants astray is key to helping employees of all ages improve their financial wellness and prepare for a secure and successful retirement.

Retirement Times - July 2021 - Bitcoin: Coming to a 401(k) Plan Near You?
Our 2018 report on Bitcoin (BTC), and the conclusions therefrom, remain relevant today. In short, the prudence in adding Bitcoin to a retirement plan is questionable, at best.

Retirement Times - June 2021 - The status on allowing 401(k) match for student loan payments
A newly proposed Senate bill by Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, would enable participants to continue saving for retirement while repaying their student debt.

Retirement Times - May 2021 - ERISA Definitions and Financial Designations
Plan sponsors and retirement plan committees are likely to encounter a myriad of industry-related naming devices and designations. It is important that they understand what each means in terms of definition, background, and practical impact/importance to the plan, the plan’s fiduciaries, and the plan’s participants.

Retirement Times - April 2021 - Plan Tax Credit Summary
Eligible employers may be able to claim a tax credit of up to $5,000, for three years, for the ordinary and necessary costs of starting a SEP, SIMPLE IRA or qualified plan (like a 401(k) plan).

Retirement Times - March 2021 - The Case for Investment Refresh
Investment refresh is an optional extension to automatic enrollment

Retirement Times - February 2021 - Continuity, Coronavirus, ERISA, Stimulus Package
The coronavirus relief includes a “temporary rule preventing partial plan terminations” for plan sponsors of defined contribution retirement plans.

Retirement Times - January 2021 Advisory Services
Department of Labor (DOL) enforcement recoveries are on the rise. A recent DOL report indicates that DOL recoveries have doubled since 2018 and tripled since 2016.

Retirement Times - December Post Election Commentary
Stock markets abhor uncertainty. Currently, investment prognosticators are interpreting the election results to create a relatively “stagnant” legislative environment.

Retirement Times - November 2020 Election Year Investment Volatility
Election years, with their uncertainty and increased emotions, cause anxiety for investors. Certainly, there may be short-term market volatility around elections, but history suggests that over the long-term the economy and markets move higher regardless of election outcomes.
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Retirement Times - October 2020 To Roth or not to Roth
Many Defined Contribution retirement plan participants are uncertain as to benefits of allocating their contributions to traditional vs Roth options. This is for good reason. There are two key major determiners as to the benefit of contribution to Roth:
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Retirement Times - August 2020 It’s That Time Again! Back-to-School for Fiduciaries
Can you hear the bells ringing? It’s that time of year to review your to-do list of fiduciary responsibilities. Ask yourself the following questions to make sure you are on top of your responsibilities and liabilities.
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Retirement Times - July 2020
Are Your Participants Experiencing a Fee Imbalance?
Subsequent to the 2012 implementation of ERISA fee reporting regulations (ERISA 408(b)(2) & 404(a)(5)), the Department of Labor (DOL) began to consider the appropriateness of the allocation of plan fees among participants.
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