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KEB

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I'm pretty new on here. It's a great resource, but I do have a question.  Does everyone work alone?  I work for a TPA and we ask our manager or other plan administrators when we have a question. It seems like no one else does that from all the questions I see.

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I definitely don’t work alone.  I’ve found this to be an invaluable resource for varying viewpoints and additional expertise outside of my team.  Sometimes the questions are ones neither I nor my team has seen and it is typically one someone or multiple individuals have experienced on this board.  I’m learning something new most days from the experts on this board and I have been doing this for awhile 

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I work as the solitary HR person for a 100 employee nonprofit.  Before that i worked for a 100 person property management company also solitary HR.  In both instances I have been a plan administrator without anyone other than the investment advisor or TPA to ask questions of beyond this Board (and other HR forums).  However, I also worked 7 1/2 years for one of the top three Global HR consulting firms in 401k recordkeeping back in the 1990s.  

And part of it will depend on how good a TPA or investment advisor is and we don't always have the ability to make a change!

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No, I don't work alone. We have 80 employees, including 6 enrolled actuaries and some of the most experienced people I've ever had the privilege to work with.

But I still like getting others input on my questions and seeing different perspectives on questions we may have never run across.

In addition, this (to me) is the updated reincarnation of the old PIX message board. I learned lessons there and made lifelong friends. It's nice to be able to continue that.

William C. Presson, ERPA, QPA, QKA
bill.presson@gmail.com
C 205.994.4070

 

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I work for a small firm with coworkers who are helpful and who have a lot of experience and knowledge (living the dream!) but it never hurts to get outside opinions as well. This site is always my first stop when I don't have an answer handy or when I'm 95% sure I know the answer but want to confirm before I say something dumb to a client or advisor -- I may not find the exact answer I need here either, but there's always at least a nudge in the right direction, a citation to hunt down, etc.

I also typically browse threads here even when I'm not looking for anything specific, just to see what people are asking and what the responses are. I can't tell you how many times I've been reading something here just out of curiosity, only to have a client call with a question about that exact topic a week later.

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2 hours ago, KEB said:

I'm pretty new on here. It's a great resource, but I do have a question.  Does everyone work alone?  I work for a TPA and we ask our manager or other plan administrators when we have a question. It seems like no one else does that from all the questions I see.

Maybe the benefitslinker IS the manager ? :shades:

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, Bill Presson said:

No, I don't work alone. We have 80 employees, including 6 enrolled actuaries and some of the most experienced people I've ever had the privilege to work with.

But I still like getting others input on my questions and seeing different perspectives on questions we may have never run across.

In addition, this (to me) is the updated reincarnation of the old PIX message board. I learned lessons there and made lifelong friends. It's nice to be able to continue that.

Does my heart good to see that mention; thanks Bill. And you are very right about lifelong friends.  I just wish this board required real names (actually, what is Bill Presson;s real name????? :-) ).

Lawrence C. Starr, FLMI, CLU, CEBS, CPC, ChFC, EA, ATA, QPFC
President
Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.
46 Daggett Drive
West Springfield, MA 01089
413-736-2066
larrystarr@qpc-inc.com

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3 minutes ago, Larry Starr said:

Does my heart good to see that mention; thanks Bill. And you are very right about lifelong friends.  I just wish this board required real names (actually, what is Bill Presson;s real name????? :-) ).

The reason I didn't use my real name when I first started coming around years ago I feared my answers could be interpreted I was speaking for my firm which I am not authorized to do so.  It has been clear that isn't an issue. 

So now it is just what it is. 

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DAVID:  How about offering a simple way for folks to add their real name to the info that shows for those who want to make that change.  I can't seem to find an easy way to change your "name" once you have one (even if you don't like it anymore).

Lawrence C. Starr, FLMI, CLU, CEBS, CPC, ChFC, EA, ATA, QPFC
President
Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.
46 Daggett Drive
West Springfield, MA 01089
413-736-2066
larrystarr@qpc-inc.com

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10 minutes ago, Larry Starr said:

DAVID:  How about offering a simple way for folks to add their real name to the info that shows for those who want to make that change.  I can't seem to find an easy way to change your "name" once you have one (even if you don't like it anymore).

I've tried to stay anonymous on a message board once. Just felt like I couldn't say what I needed to and keep it that way. So, from then on, I've always either used my real name or made it pretty easy to know.

As to making a change, you can go to Edit Profile and change your Member Title to anything you wish. It could be your real name or like what I've done.

You could also add it to your signature. Neither of those things require any board changes.

William C. Presson, ERPA, QPA, QKA
bill.presson@gmail.com
C 205.994.4070

 

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To the original poster, whenever you have a question to post, please start here:

https://benefitslink.com/boards/

to make sure you use the most useful forum.

I'm a retirement actuary. Nothing about my comments is intended or should be construed as investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Occasionally, but not all the time, it might be reasonable to interpret my comments as actuarial or consulting advice.

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16 hours ago, ESOP Guy said:

The reason I didn't use my real name when I first started coming around years ago I feared my answers could be interpreted I was speaking for my firm which I am not authorized to do so.  It has been clear that isn't an issue. 

So now it is just what it is. 

Yep, my prior employer would not allow me to use my real name for that reason.

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If you'd like to use your real name (which is a good idea for many reasons), please do. And feel free to include the name of your company in your "signature" (which is automatically appended to messages you post). By posting interesting questions and helpful answers, you're enhancing your reputation at the same time that you're helping your industry colleagues.

But if you'd like to use a pseudonym (which sometimes is a good idea for many reasons), please do that, too. Create a second account by (1) logging out, and then (2) registering as if you're an entirely different person. Enter whatever display name you'd like to use (stand back -- "Benefiticus" is entering the forums), and enter an email address that's different than the one you used with your "real name" account. (Each registered account must have a unique email address.) The email address for your pseudonym account could be a gmail.com email address (they're free), or outlook.com, hotmail.com, etc. -- but it should be a working email address that you check from time to time, so that emails sent by the message board software don't bounce -- e.g. automatic emails that notify you about a new reply that's been posted to a topic you started using your pseudonym account.

So you could have two accounts -- an account that displays your real name for ordinary use, and an account that displays a pseudonym for those unusual times when you'd like to post a question or add a reply anonymously. You might want to ask colleagues for advice as to what to do when you discover that your dog ate the client's only signed plan document, or that you are concerned that an employer-client may be putting nonexistent names on the employee census, or that you have serious concerns about industry leaders sometimes balking about tax reform just because it cuts into business ... not gossip, but stuff that is true, needs attention, bothers you, or otherwise "needs to be said" for the good of the realm.

Let me know if you'd like details or screen shots. Thanks!

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6 hours ago, Dave Baker said:

If you'd like to use your real name (which is a good idea for many reasons), please do. And feel free to include the name of your company in your "signature" (which is automatically appended to messages you post). By posting interesting questions and helpful answers, you're enhancing your reputation at the same time that you're helping your industry colleagues.

But if you'd like to use a pseudonym (which sometimes is a good idea for many reasons), please do that, too. Create a second account by (1) logging out, and then (2) registering as if you're an entirely different person. Enter whatever display name you'd like to use (stand back -- "Benefiticus" is entering the forums), and enter an email address that's different than the one you used with your "real name" account. (Each registered account must have a unique email address.) The email address for your pseudonym account could be a gmail.com email address (they're free), or outlook.com, hotmail.com, etc. -- but it should be a working email address that you check from time to time, so that emails sent by the message board software don't bounce -- e.g. automatic emails that notify you about a new reply that's been posted to a topic you started using your pseudonym account.

So you could have two accounts -- an account that displays your real name for ordinary use, and an account that displays a pseudonym for those unusual times when you'd like to post a question or add a reply anonymously. You might want to ask colleagues for advice as to what to do when you discover that your dog ate the client's only signed plan document, or that you are concerned that an employer-client may be putting nonexistent names on the employee census, or that you have serious concerns about industry leaders sometimes balking about tax reform just because it cuts into business ... not gossip, but stuff that is true, needs attention, bothers you, or otherwise "needs to be said" for the good of the realm.

Let me know if you'd like details or screen shots. Thanks!

David,

I know a lot about pensions, but apparently my tech abilities are waning. Why can't I figure out how to set up a "signature"?  I tried editing my profile but I don't seem to see it there.  I am obviously missing the obvious.  Can you (or someone else) point me to where I can edit a signature block?

Thanks.

Lawrence C. Starr, FLMI, CLU, CEBS, CPC, ChFC, EA, ATA, QPFC
President
Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.
46 Daggett Drive
West Springfield, MA 01089
413-736-2066
larrystarr@qpc-inc.com

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34 minutes ago, Larry Starr said:

David,

I know a lot about pensions, but apparently my tech abilities are waning. Why can't I figure out how to set up a "signature"?  I tried editing my profile but I don't seem to see it there.  I am obviously missing the obvious.  Can you (or someone else) point me to where I can edit a signature block?

Thanks.

Larry,

Click on your name next to your post. It will go to the window allowing you to edit your profile. Near the top right, you'll see a small version of your name and avatar with a down carat. Click the carat and then click Account Settings. The Signature option is on there. Might be an easier way to get there, but I haven't found it.

William C. Presson, ERPA, QPA, QKA
bill.presson@gmail.com
C 205.994.4070

 

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