| BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter |   |
August 29, 2003 - 13,314 subscribers
Today's sponsor: ASPA
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
ASPA Exam Registration Deadline Approaching Advance your career with the retirement industry's only certification program devoted exclusively to 401(k) plans. QKA is available only from ASPA-- the education leader for qualified plan issues. You can add the prestigious QKA designation to your name by passing five invaluable exams. The registration deadline for two of the required exams being offered this fall is September 30. Register today-- and watch your career soar tomorrow. Click on the banner above or visit http://www.asppa.org/qka/ for more information
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Text of IRS' Employee Plan News, Special Edition (PDF)
1 page. Excerpt: "Paul Shultz, Director of EP Rulings & Agreements, said, 'We've heard from the benefits community about the pressure that the fast approaching deadline will cause on employers, especially small business owners. We're trying to encourage employers to act NOW while providing relief for those who need it most.'" (Internal Revenue Service)
With Pension Plans Deep In Red, Business Looks To D.C. For Aid
Excerpt: "The long bear market left pension plans seriously underfunded, forcing businesses to tap already-tight profits to shore up their plans. Congress is working on a proposal that would provide at least short-term relief. The overall bill enjoys bipartisan support." (Investor's Business Daily via Investors.com)
Retirement Before 65 Discouraged In Germany
Excerpt: "Germans must consider working closer to the retirement age of 65 to help keep the creaky national pension system in business, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said yesterday, but he stopped short of endorsing an increase in that retirement age." (AP via the Philadelphia Inquirer)
Another Question is Answered in the Who's the Employer Q&A Column
We are considering a Safe Harbor 401k/Profit Sharing Plan for our employees. We have a few part-time outside sales employees who get paid directly through our payroll (commission only). Can we exclude them from the 3% contribution? (BenefitsLink.com)
University of California Pension Trustees Ordered to Reveal Details of Investments
Excerpt: "A state superior court judge ruled Thursday that the University of California must divulge detailed information about the investments it makes in venture capital funds, a ruling that UC officials said could cost the system's pension and retirement funds hundreds of millions of dollars." (SFGate.com)
Venture Capital Firm Bans Investments by University of California's Pension Fund
Excerpt: "A prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm has barred the University of California from investing in its latest fund, seeking to shield its closely guarded books from public scrutiny." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
BenefitsLink Newsletters Will Not Publish on Monday, September 1
Have a happy and restful Labor Day! (BenefitsLink.com)
California Passes Domestic Partner Bill
Excerpt: "The California state Senate [on August 28, 2003] passed the landmark Domestic Partners Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003, by a 23-14 vote.... The legislation passed the Assembly on a vote of 41-29 on June 4. it now returns to the Assembly for a concurrence vote Last week Gov. Gray Davis said he would sign the bill once the Senate passed it." (365Gay.com)
Labor Day Opinion: Do Jobs Not Matter Anymore?
Excerpt: "Maybe we should just scrap Labor Day and rename it 'Capital Day.' After all, aren't we now a 'nation of investors'? Isn't most business reporting, especially on television, about stock prices and 'returns on capital'? If you care about wages and working conditions, you must be some sort of dinosaur." (E. J. Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post)
Achieving Win-Win Negotiations: the Pivotal Role of Labor-Management Committees (PDF)
Excerpt: "Collective bargaining is always characterized by competition between the parties for limited resources. Achieving productive public sector labor-management negotiations can be especially challenging when a troubled economy, such as the present one, limits those resources in an extraordinary way." (The Segal Company)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
New Business Technical Consultant
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in NY
Retirement Plan Consultant
for Invesmart
in TX
Pension and Benefits Administrator
for PennMont Benefit Services, Inc.
in PA
Benefits Coordinator
for abc distributing, LLC
in FL
Pension Administrator/Analyst
for Abacus Benefit Consultants Inc.
in RI
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
The Real Estate Industry’s Premier Investment Forum
in AZ
February 8, 2004
Institute for International Research
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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