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Retirement Plans
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March 17, 2004 - 13,655 subscribers
Today's sponsor: DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.

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

Software for 401(k), DB and Flexible Benefits
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(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Mutual Fund Study Reveals Undisclosed Charges
Excerpt: "The battle over the fees the mutual-fund industry charges its customers is coming to a head." (Wall Street Journal via SFGate.com)

Overview: Exclusion of Exempt Organization Employees in Code Sec. 401(k) and 401(m) Plans
Excerpt: "Newly proposed amendments to the rules implementing Code Sec. 410(b) would permit the exclusion of employees of Code Sec. 501(c)(3) exempt organizations for purposes of testing whether a Code Sec. 401(k) or 401(m) plan satisfies the minimum coverage requirements. The amendments are being made in response to a congressional directive contained in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16)." (CCH News & Information Library)

Is Your 403(b) Old School or New School?
Excerpt: "In many ways the 403(b) retirement plan is truly the Rodney Dangerfield of retirement plans: it gets no respect. While the mainstream financial media focus on the private sector 401(k), participants in 403(b) plans are largely left to fend for themselves with little or no information, and worse, mostly lousy investment choices." (403bWise.com)

San Diego City Manager Resigns in Pension Funding Brouhaha
Excerpt: "The U.S. Securities Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney's Office have opened preliminary investigations into whether city officials provided fraudulent information to investors to sell more than $2.3 billion in bonds. They also are looking into the city's $1.1 billion pension fund deficit." (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Applicable Federal Rates for April, 2004 (PDF)
3 pages; Revenue Ruling 2004-39. (Internal Revenue Service)

Text of SEC Proposed Rule on Disclosures Regarding Portfolio Managers (PDF)
20 pages. (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Overview: EBSA Requests Comments on Proposed Changes to EFAST
3/15/04. Excerpt: "The redesigned system--EFAST2--is intended to encourage filers to submit electronic returns and thereby simplify the processing of returns." (RIA Pension & Benefits Week)

A Double Blow to Split-Dollar Life Insurance
Excerpt: "Split-dollar life insurance may have been the last thing on Jeffrey Skilling's mind when he was led away in handcuffs on February 19, but his split-dollar policy was one of many that spurred regulators to rethink these arrangements in the wake of the Enron disaster." (Workforce.com)

Management, Labor Prepare for D.C.-Area Grocery Strike
Excerpt: "The union historically has had a peaceful relationship with the grocers. But with the chains vowing to trim wage, pension and health care costs, and with Safeway workers in California coming off a five-month strike, union members said officials are telling them they must be ready for a breakdown in labor talks." (Washington Post; one-time registration required)

National Employee Benefits Day Comes on April 2; President Bush Congratulates IFEBP
Excerpt: "In honor of the 50th anniversary, the White House has issued a Presidential Message sending greetings to the International Foundation members as we celebrate the first ever National Employee Benefits Day. On this day 50 years ago, the very first meeting of 11 construction industry health and welfare funds commenced." (International Foundation)

Newly Posted Events

Health Care Reform
Nationwide on March 16, 2004
presented by Hewitt Associates LLC

Employee Benefits Survey Results for 2003
in New Jersey on March 23, 2004
presented by International Society of CEBS - Central New Jersey Chapter
Newly Posted Press Releases

Retirement Company Opposes SEC 4 PM Proposal
(ICMA Retirement Corporation)

Prudential Introduces Income Bridge Approach to Retirement Planning
(Prudential Financial, Inc.)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Post a Help Wanted Ad

Marketing Consultant
for Polycomp Administrative Services, Inc.
in CA

Consulting Pension Actuary
for InDemand Staffing of St. Louis, Inc.
in MI, MN

Plan Administrator
for Alliance Pension Consultants
in IL

Pension Administrators for St. Petersburg TPA firm
for HCH Companies, Inc.
in FL

401K Plan Benefits Analyst
for Global Professional Services Firm
in CA

401(k) Investment Analyst/Consultant
for 401(k) Advisors
in CA

Retirement Plan Specialist
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in FL

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