"A client (husband and wife) that was a single member plan for many years in 2021 became a plan with a rank and file employee. Naturally due to this added employee they are required to have a full administration performed and a form 5500-SF filed electronically. For 2021 the relationship was peachy. Come the 2022 annual administration and the client balks at the price-tag of the annual admin work performed. A back and forth via email ensues where I explain everything. Old emails are used to show that she was accepting of the cost, even offered to pay me more for all the back and forth questions. Yet now she is being cheap. Her excuse? She thought the 2021 fee was only for that year due to the added work. Here is the kicker, my process is to email the client the form 5500 and efile authorization form along with my invoice. The client returns the form signed and upon payment in full I would file the return electronically and then forward on the complete bound report. I hear nothing from this client so I file an extension since the 7/31 filing deadline was approaching. Just now I looked at the DOL website and can see that the return was filed on 7/21. I am guessing she took my completed form and filed the return herself. I'm sorry, WTF! Here is my question, the DOL site says on the form 5500 that the return was 'Filed with authorized/valid electronic signature' in the signature space. Is there a way to find out who exactly filed the return? Whose credentials? ... To head off the inevitable question, no, a current contract was not executed (my bad). This unfortunate event is making a review of all client contracts a priority. But on that subject, it is in writing that she is ok with the cost quoted and she did pay the first year setting a precedent, right?"

"Our firm serves as counsel to the local union and the associated pension fund. The union asked the pension fund staff for mailing labels (name and address). The union intends to give the information to a third-party so that participants will be mailed information (unrelated). Issues?"

"Here's the data: Company #1 owner A = 50%; owner B = 50% Company #2 same owner A = 25%; same owner B = 25%; owner C = 25%; owner D = 8%; owner E = 8%; owner F = 4%; owner F wife = 4% Owners A, B, D, E and F are brothers, owner C has no family relationship. Company #2 does 100% of its work for Company #1 (no outside companies). Would this be an affiliated service group relationship or any other?"

"We are currently on Datair and looking at other options. We are looking at Ft Williams (given we use their document & 5500 system), ASC, and possibly Relius (but unlikely given costs). One concern is the processing of huge plans. Currently, we have issues with Datair stalling during busy season when someone is importing or calculating a huge plan. We do not want to relive this. We also would like a program that provides some reconciliation options between the accrued balance on the software and vendor ending balance by participants. Do you have any of these retirement software companies and can you provide pros & cons?"