| BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter |   |
May 13, 2003 - 13,156 subscribers
Today's sponsor: Thompson Publishing Group, Inc.
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"Consumer-Directed Health Care Plans" audio conference 5/20/03 * 2:00 p.m. ET Are the promised cost savings of consumer directed health plans real or an illusion? What does the future hold for these kinds of plans? How will developments in Congress and the marketplace affect them? What are the design features of successful consumer-directed health plans? Who is currently enrolling in these plans? Attorney and benefits consultant Terry Humo, Esq., will address these questions and more on Tuesday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Excerpt from JCT Explanation of 'Care Act' on Tax-Free IRA Distributions Contributed to Charity (PDF)
12 pages. Excerpt: "The provision provides an exclusion from gross income for otherwise taxable IRA distributions from a traditional or a Roth IRA in the case of qualified charitable distributions." (U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on Taxation)
Joint Committee on Taxation Explains 'Care Act,' Including IRA Charitable Contribution Provision (PDF)
135 pages; entitled 'Technical Explanation of the Revenue Provisions of S. 476, The 'Care Act Of 2003,' as Passed by the Senate.' JCX 47-03, May 12, 2003. (U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on Taxation)
Dick Wickersham Retired? Say It Ain't So!
We haven't confirmed it, but several message board users are reporting that Dick Wickersham of the IRS has retired from service with the IRS. He helped to draft ERISA. (BenefitsLink.com)
401(k) Plan Sponsors Must Remember Duty to Prudently Choose and Monitor Investment Options
Excerpt: "If challenged, either during an investigation by the Department of Labor (the federal agency that enforces ERISA) or during a civil lawsuit by an employee, plan fiduciaries must be able to document an investment management process that promotes the prudent selection and monitoring of investment options." (The [Pittsburgh] Post-Gazette)
French Unions Launch Strikes and Protests Over Pension Reform
Excerpt: "Much of France ground to a halt as unions launched a day of strikes and demonstrations against pension reform, in the biggest challenge yet to the centre-right government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin." (AFP via Yahoo! News)
In France, It's the Season of the Strike
Excerpt: "In spring, France's thoughts turn to walkouts. But this year labor leaders are divided over the wisdom of blocking the government's pension reforms. Can the two sides make a deal?" (Time Europe)
Profile: Steve Kandarian, Executive Director of the PBGC
Excerpt: "The PBGC's financial status was still relatively cushy with a surplus of $8 billion when Kandarian took over the reins in December 2001, but it was clear even then that the so-called 'Perfect Storm' that eventually would confront the nation's pension system would challenge the pension insurer." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required)
'I'm Sorry, Madam, Your Pension Checks Are Stopping Because You're Dead.'
Excerpt: "A north Wales woman who was told her benefits were being stopped because she was dead has received an apology from pension officials.... Maria Harding ... has finally had her pension restored after a long fight to correct the mistake which was caused by a worker entering the wrong information on a computer." (BBC News, UK Edition)
Employee Ownership Update for May 12, 2003
NCEO Executive Director Corey Rosen discusses a bill to create a presidential commission on employee ownership, plus the death of Russell Long, the senator who made ESOPs possible. (National Center for Employee Ownership)
Chicago Sun-Times Runs Series on Controversial Aspects of Illinois State Pensions
Series began on April 6, 2003; 4 parts. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Profile: Representatives Rob Portman and Ben Cardin
Excerpt: "Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, and Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, neither of notably centrist leanings, nonetheless found common cause in tackling the increasingly precarious state of workplace retirement." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Profile: Ann Combs, Assistant Secretary of EBSA
Excerpt: "As are many plan sponsors, Combs is concerned about health care. 'We're at a crossroads,' she says, 'and the issue is how do we keep a vibrant private system in place and engaged.'" (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Trustmark/SRT Senior Administrator
for Alliance Benefit Group of New England
in NH
Plan Administrator/Manager
for National recruiting firm.
in ALL STATES
Retirement Plans Manager
for Exult, Inc.
in NC
Pension Plan Administrator
for Alliance Benefit Group of New England
in NH
Defined Benefit Pension Plan Consultant
for Streelman Richards & Company - Search and Recruiting
in TX
Pension Plan Coordinator - San Mateo
for Transamerica - The Winning Organization
in CA
Retirement Services Account Manager 2
for SunTrust
in DC
Compliance Analyst
for T. Rowe Price
in MD
Client Services Specialist
for Expertplan, Inc.
in NJ
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Dealing with Fiduciary Responsibility in 401(k) Plans
in ALL STATES
May 22, 2003
Clark Consulting, formerly Clark/Bardes Consulting
Summer School
in IL
2 June - 22 August 2003
The John Marshall Law School Center for Tax Law & Employee Benefits
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
Most High-Tech Companies Provide Group Life and AD&D Insurance
(Culpepper and Associates, Inc.)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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Editor and Publisher: David Rhett Baker, J.D.
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