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The BenefitsLink Newsletter -
Retirement Plans Edition
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October 30, 2001 - 12,337 subscribers
Today's sponsor: The Institute of Management & Administration

(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)

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(Help BenefitsLink to provide this newsletter at no charge to you -- our sponsors pay our way. Remember to visit them periodically; we try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)

Phased-in Retirement May Take Some Planning
Excerpt: "A lot of people aren't really ready to retire when they reach 'retirement age,' but they sure would like to cut back a bit. If they're lucky, they can start a phased-in retirement through a plan offered by their company. More likely, they'll have to negotiate their own plan." (The [Akron, Oh.] Beacon Journal)

Workers Shifting Retirement Savings to Bonds, Survey Finds
Excerpt: "The overwhelming majority of workers are frightened about the declining value of their retirement accounts, and nearly half intend to change their investment strategy if the stock market remains weak at the end of the year, a new survey shows." (The [San Jose Calif.] Mercury News)

Sharpen Your Investment Sense with Risk Tolerance Training
Excerpt: "Declining retirement account balances have stunned many workers over the past year, particularly recently, and some have sold their holdings in panic. Often, this is because they don't understand the risks they face and consequently don't have the background to develop an escape plan." (mPower Cafe)

(Following items are in both editions of the BenefitsLink Newsletter)


DOL Proposes Amendment to Class Exemptions, Clarifying Applicability to IRAs and Keogh Plans
Excerpt: "The class exemptions described in this proposed amendment do not define the term 'employee benefit plan'. As a result, the Department has become increasingly aware of uncertainty regarding the scope of these class exemptions. To address this uncertainty, the Department has determined to amend each exemption in order to define the term 'employee benefit plan' and 'plan' as used therein." (U.S. Department of Labor, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration)

ERISA Plan Must Use Mailbox Rule to Resolve Disputes About Receipt of Employee's Required Paperwork
Schikore v. Bankamerica Supp. Retirement Plan (9th Cir. 2001). Excerpt: "EBIA Comment: [T]his is not the first court case requiring plan administrators to apply the mailbox rule (although the majority of cases probably involve COBRA issues). But as this opinion illustrates, plans have a choice about the mailbox rule, and thoughtful plan design can prevent disputes of this sort." (EBIA Weekly)

Top Ten Mistakes in Global Equity Programs (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "An overview of stock and equity-based compensation programs." (White & Case, L.L.P.)




Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings ( Post Yours!)
Paralegal for Howard Simon & Associates, Inc.
in
IL
Retirement services (outside) sales representative- selling direct for National Retirement Services Financial Institution
in
CA, GA, TX

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Copyright 2001 BenefitsLink.com, Inc., but you may freely distribute this email newsletter in whole. This newsletter is edited by David Rhett Baker, J.D.