Best Subscription Service?

[Guest sjb]

I perform deep technical review of qual and nonqual plans. On a trail basis (internet & CD) I'm looking at CCH, BNA, RIA Checkpoint as well as the internet blogs.

Any experienced user votes for the "best" of breed?

[jevd]

Check out Aspen Publishers Answer Book Series on-line as well.

[Kirk Maldonado]

Tax Management Portfolios are also very useful.

[KJohnson]

Especially the portfolio on the Securities Law Aspects of Employee Benefit Plans (assuming Kirk gets a royalty).

[Kirk Maldonado]

I don't get a royalty, but thanks for the plug.

I didn't mention the portfolios just because I wrote one. A number of them contain in-depth discussions of many issues. The depth of analysis is often much greater than the other secondary sources. However, it is hit-or-miss, because sometimes you will run across issues that aren't addressed in the portfolios. Thus, I think that the loose-leaf services tend to cover more issues, whereas the portfolios cover fewer issues, but more in-depth.

[GBurns]

BNA on line and the Portfolios seems the best by far.

[Guest sjb]

Thanks for the Aspen Publishers recommendation - excellent. Frankly, I've found BNA to be hit or miss as Kirk mentioned.

[imchipbrown]

Though I prefer the paper-based services, no one really took responsibility for the weekly filing, and envelopes would stack up for months on end. We ended up with the RIA CD service. Its OK.

Best service are these message boards.

[david rigby]

I have used all of them at various times, both paper and internet. Now, no more paper. Recently, we have used BNA and CCH, but I prefer BNA.

[Dave Baker]

Make sure you sign up for our free daily email newsletter:

http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/

It's not a replacement for the various big-publisher services, but you'll get links to fresh articles that have all sorts of interesting perspectives and that provide a look at the work product of most of the industry's bigger players as well as many astonishingly good smaller ones (law firms, consulting firms, administration firms, actuarial firms and others).

[Guest sjb]

The benefitslink newletter is also excellent, but addicting.

[Appleby]

The BISYS reference service is good too-especially if you handle the operational aspects of IRAs and qualified plans. Very user friendly. Excellent for beginners and seasoned professionals.

http://www.bisysretirement.com/catalog/eresource.asp

[Dave Baker]

Appleby, you think the BISYS materials are detailed enough for experienced administration consultants? I have not seen them.

Are they basically online texts? Similar to the Panel Answer Books?

How long have you been using the BISYS materials?

[mwyatt]

Have gone through the procession of:

1. CCH Paper books (great, until you discover that the ex-secretary, instead of filing the weekly updates, had buried them in the bottom of her desk - also, great fun when you pick the book up and the last person hadn't quite closed the rings)

2. RIA Checkpoint on CD-ROM (a great improvement, although you're now looking at monthly updates, and you're relying on on CD-ROM - access at home is a problem - and you have to deal with sharing issues if you don't want to have people physically transferring the CD-ROM around the office for access)

and have settled on

3. RIA Checkpoint on the Web - no more updates to deal with, and can access anywhere I have access to the Internet, whether that be at home, a client, or the office - also no programs to be updated other than adding a bookmark/favorite to everyone's computer. However, took care of that fairly easily via our (little) company's Intranet web page (basically a series of HTML files on the file server).

We've been pretty happy with RIA, although there are other good products out there. I was a little leary about having to rely on Internet access to get at the files, but our connection has gotten more reliable (and faster) so I think that this is probably the way to go. However, I still am partial at times to paper.

[Guest rmeigs]

Appleby: The few times I've checked out the Bisys offerings (http://www.bisysretirement.com/catalog/eresourceget.asp), all they give you is a brief description and no way to subscribe or obtain any other information. A few of the pages in this area are also tagged as "under constructions." I'm wondering if it is "ready for prime time" yet. Do you have experience with their eResource products?

[Appleby]

I have been using the BISYS (formerly known as Universal Pensions) reference material for 6-years (3 years online).

I also use the Panel Answer Books (Panel Pension Library Deluxe)- never leave home without my online access information.

The Panel Answer Books may be more suitable for sjb’s needs—i.e. experienced TPAs who need in-depth reference material on Plan Administration etc. among other things… because of the information it includes about non-qualified plans, ERISA litigation and the numerous examples of Precedential Decisions etc. etc.

The BISYS reference material is more ideally suited for an IRA Custodian and/or Prototype sponsor that provides technical and administrative support (including 1099-R and 5498 filing) on their IRA and qualified plan products in a call center or Bank environment. The BISYS material includes information from “ How much I can contribute and/or deduct”—“How can I establish an IRA or a QP” to explanations of controlled group, SLOB, testing.

BISYS will be sending me information on a Demo and has given permission for the access-password ( to the Demo) to be posted on this site. I should receive it shortly.

[Appleby]

BISYS has indicated that their online reference center is currently being overhauled and should be completed in February 2004. They will provide us with access to the Demo at that time.

[Guest sjb]

Finally, I opted for Checkpoint, though the PP Deluxe site had merit. I was surprised how unreliable the PP Deluxe internet site was for connections and navigation. Though I may be my unigue access port, after getting knocked off a half a dozen times I decided to pass.

[Appleby]

Must be your access port. I use the Panel Publishers Deluxe from work, home, when I am on the road and even in my local library--- so far, I have never experienced any problems. Anyway, I hope your selection meet your needs.

[Guest NiceGuyMike]

I'm a big fan of the paper services, as long as they're kept updated. I used to like to do that, because then I knew it was updated, and it was a nice no-brainer project to lose myself in for a little while.

I've tried CD-ROM and online services (CCH and RIA, respectively), and found that it was hard to get the results I wanted. I'm pretty good at defining searches in Google, but trying to figure out what terminology will get you exactly what you want on an online or CD service can be tough.

I also liked the paper services because I could quickly copy off a page for a client if they wanted some kind of proof of what I was telling them.

Michael

[Kirk Maldonado]

NiceGuyMike:

It's funny, but I prefer electronic subscriptions for the exact same reasons why you like paper subscriptions.

I find them very easy to search. I find that if the results are too many or two few, I simply change a few words.

Similarly, I find it even easier to send copies of the relevant provisions to clients. I simply copy them and paste them into an e-mail message. Using that approach, the client would receive the e-mail message before I could even walk over to the copier (if I wanted to manually copy something and fax or mail it to the client).

[Appleby]

NiceGuyMike-Have you tried the Panel Publishers CD or online service? The search feature is flawless. You can search a string of words that appear in a specific order, for instance “be rolled over into an IRA” or a few words, such as beneficiary, rollover non-spouse and you can choose to exclude certain words. For instance, you may want to search 'rollover', but to limit your search result, you want to exclude 'IRA'.

In all instances, your search result is narrowed down to meet your criteria.

I hope that I will never have to go back to Hard Copy!

[mwyatt]

Hard copy has its place, but just wait until you find 3 months worth of updates crammed in the back of the desk drawer of a recently departed secretary (a true story BTW)...

[Kirk Maldonado]

MWyatt:

You aren't the only person who has suffered those unfortunate circumstances.

[Archimage]

Appleby, I use the Panel Publishers Online. Why isn't the Journal of Pension Benefits issues after summer 2003 posted yet? Do you know when the rest of the books will be updated for the 2004 version?

[Appleby]

Archimage-I am only a lowly subscriber (don’t work for Panel Publisher) so I don’t have an inside connection. Since your post, they have added the autumn issue of the Journal of Pension Benefits. I will send you the E-mail address for the contact person at Aspen Publishers – I sent her two E-Mails but have not received a response to date. Who knows, with all the E-Mail filters in place, they may not have received the ones I sent.

[Appleby]

I just obtained a trial subscription to TAGDATA.com. Lot of excellent resources.

I am especially impressed by the calculators. For instance, a customer called about a controlled group issue, all I had to do was enter the numbers in TAGDATA's calculator and voila – the answer was available:

Their calculators include :

Catch Up Contribution Worksheet

Controlled Group Spreadsheet

Loan Calculator

Ratio Percentage Test - Controlled Group

Ratio Percentage Test - Single Employer

Top Heavy Determination After EGTRRA

'Bonding Calculator' - January, 2004

And no, I don't work for TAGDATA

[Appleby]

The Panel Publishers subscription is now offered through CCH. Is it just me, or does anyone else thinks the search feature under CCH sucks when compared to the previous version

[Lori Friedman]

Kirk,

Until now, I'd had no idea that you're the author of Portfolio 362. Very impressive! You provide a very concise and scholarly discussion of some extremely esoteric law.

[Erik Read]

AGREED - the CCH search function sucks.... it's not very helpful - I can get source, and reference on this forum faster than I can narrow my search down to actually find an answer on CCH....not saying that this forum is slow.

[Lori Friedman]

For what it's worth... I have a very bad opinion of CCH products. I've never had satisfactory results from any CCH tax research materials -- neither the paper nor electronic versions. My firm doesn't have CCH subscriptions.

Instead, we use RIA Checkpoint (for basic information, with excellent hotlinks to every cite and authority) and BNA Portfolios (for detailed discussions, when more advanced information and analysis are needed).

[Appleby]

Thanks Lori,

I will check out those other products. My subscription for Panel Publishers will be up for renewal in a few months-which at this time is $2,000+. I would much rather spend even a few hundred more for something more user-friendly. Pity- I like most of the books offered by Panel Publishers

[Lori Friedman]

Yikes...$2,000+ is very expensive. Wasn't there an ownership change at Panel Publishers? Is this the reason for the big price hike?

[Appleby]

Actually, we have been paying $2,000 for a few years. The amount is for the Panel Pension Library Deluxe Online, which includes several books. The name change has not yet affected the price

[Appleby]

List at http://www.aspenpublishers.com/product.asp...alog_Name=Aspen just in case the hotspot does not work