I have in the 1999 year converted a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA and am wondering if a person can recharacterize part of the Roth conversion back to a traditional IRA or if the full amount of the conversion has to be recharacterized. I am wondering if I can protect part of my retirement that exists in the Roth and take an unqualified distribution out of the recharacterized traditional IRA. I am seeking to avoid the 10% unqualified distribution penalty on the Roth IRA.

Does anyone have experience in organizing and dealing with a foreign sales corporation as an asset of an IRA? I am especially concerned about prohibited transaction and valuation issues. Also would like to know about any experience in handling this type of asset.

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If a participant has a vested balance between 10,000 - 20,000. The max loan calc comes out to a loan of $10,000. If the plan does not accept collateral other than 50% of acct. balance is the max in reality lower. For eg. a participant with a 15K balance could only take a $7,500 loan.

Can anyone point me to something that contains a good explanation of WRAP plans (ie, a plan used to wrap welfare plans into one so that a single 5500 can be filed) and possibly a form document to use for this purpose?

If a participant begins minimum required distributions using joint life and last survivor expectancy of the participant and designated beneficiary and does not designate the recalculation method, can they change the method to the recalculation method after payments have begun? Does it matter if the plan is silent regarding which methodology to use?

Company has unleveraged ESOP. Dividends are earned on an Employee stock account, and the company takes a tax deduction for the dividends distributed to participants.

Under new proposed legislation,the dividend distribution could include all dividends paid to company stock held by participants rather than just the employee stock account component.

Does anyone have more information on this proposal, and/or issues that affect ESOPs? What about effect on ESOP status where company stock currently makes up 55% of Plan assets?

Do either of the pieces of pension legislation allow members of a Deferred Compensation (457) plan to rollover plan assets to an IRA. I know both plans allow rollovers from 403b to 457 ...many of my employees would not have a 403b plan as an available optiion.

Is a 5500 Filing required for a voluntary A. D. & D. plan that is paid 100% by post tax employee contributions?

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SHB

Does anybody have experience with Qualified plans that offer Self Directed Investments to participants?

Can you tell me what percentage of participants use Brokerage Services?

Is this percentage influenced by plan size?

Thanks in advance.

I am not familiar with the annual admin rqmts. for a 403(B). There is a public education system under 501©(3), subject to Title 1.

Any help or resource to basic rqmts. ie. 5500, testing?, etc.

In a situation with a Pension Plan - sole participant, QDRO for ex-spouse, who is entitled to withdraw funds at her discretion, but has not yet withdrawn her entire amount - if the participant himself reaches Normal Retirement Date and wants to draw a small distribution of a few thousand from the Plan every few months or so (Plan permits post-retirement withdrawals by active participants) - would he waive a Life Annuity, and state that he is unmarried, or must he waive the Joint and Survivor Annuity with consent of his ex-spouse? Client is adamant that spousal consent is not needed but I wonder...

I am looking for information on setting up a top hat nonqualified deferred compensation plan for members of a limited liability company who receive self-earned income for services to the company.

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A profit sharing plan owns the majority of stock in a company. The company wishes to recapitalize and buy the stock of the profit sharing plan only by trading that stock for noncallable preferred stock (equal to the fair market value of the stock owned by the plan). ERISA 408(e) states that if the transaction is for adequate consideration and no commission is paid, then it would be permitted. Would it be permitted?

In a merger situation, when 3 companies terminate their existing plans (all done appropriately), then merge and start new plans (401(k) and MPPP), if possible, can they get $30,000 in the terminated plans, then get $30,000 in the new plans? I realize they will be limited to a deferral limit of $10,000 for the year. I was under the impression they would be able to maximize contributions in both plans, but there is some discussion that the participants would be limited to $30,000 across the terminated and active plans.

Have someone who has to develop a "Recruiting Plan Strategy" for an IT (Info tech) firm. Does anyone have any information/plans that are applicable? (Non technical OK - would at least get them stated). If anyone needs a fax or e-mail address, please let me know.

We have a pariticipant in one of the 401(k) plans that we are recordkeeping who is an American Indian and lives on a reservation. She works in the "general public" and participates in her employer's qualified 401(k) plan . The plan sponsor is asking us if she would get a 1099 when she takes a distribution or if there other requirements that we will need to meet to appropriately report this to the IRS?

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AOlson

More than 4% withdrawals is dangerous? I don't get it. The NYSE has returned about 11% since 1926. Surely a portfolio of S&P500/Investment grade bonds has returned in excess of 4% since 1926.

Mr. Burn's position results in an account balance greater at death than when withdrawals started.

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[This message has been edited by jlf (edited 09-09-1999).]

would anyone have a sample copy of an election form provided to participants that are 70 1/2 and you are giving them the election to continue receiving benefits or defer until they terminate employment?

I appreciate your input!

My firm (8000 staff worldwide) currently has a random Employee Discount Program. We are looking to setup criteria, find new discounts, etc. Does anybody have any thoughts on developing a worldclass offering of Employee Discounts?

I have a couple of questions regarding a 401k plan for a sole proprietor. First, if a sole proprietor defers more than the allowed $10,000, how long do they have to have the money returned to them without 10% penalty (March 15 or April 15 of the following year?) Second, if the tax return for the past three years is amended for lesser Schedule C, and the ER has been putting in the max 15% profit sharing contribution had been allocated, how do we correct for a lesser allowed 15% based on lesser Self-employed income? Is there a 10% penalty for those years for contributing too much or can the excess be returned to the employer? Any assistance in this matter would be appreciated!