| BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter |   |
March 22, 2007
Sponsored by: ASPPA
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| Advanced Actuarial Conference – Boston, MA, June 5-6, 2007 |
| Designed by practicing pension actuaries specifically to address their unique and specialized needs, this conference covers a wide variety of current and timely issues. Workshops and general sessions will be dedicated to topics including PPA, Future DB Policy Initiatives, Yield Curve, RP 2000 Mortality Tables and Hybrid Plans. Join your fellow pension actuary colleagues at this one of a kind event. |
A Pension Idea Some Want to Retire
Excerpt: "Watson Wyatt has contended that the government should avoid telling employers what types of retirement plans they can and cannot offer and that Energy's proposal last year would have prohibited guaranteed pensions for new contract hires." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
Overview: Prepare Now for New Multiemployer Plan Funding Rules
Excerpt: "The Pension Protection Act of 2006 ('PPA') contains dozens of changes to multiemployer pension plan funding standards, most of which are effective for plan years beginning in 2008. Many of these provisions are applicable to all multiemployer plans, but Congress also included important relief for the construction industry." (Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP)
Court Finds Adviser to Retirement Plan is a Fiduciary
Excerpt: "The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan ruled that a brokerage firm that gave investment advice to a profit sharing plan for a fee is considered a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
West Virginia Treasurer to Use Match to Increase DC Plan Participation
Excerpt: "The West Virginia state treasurer has earmarked $3 million in an attempt to increase use of a state employee 401(k)-like retirement plan." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Pick the Right Target-Date Fund or Risk Missing Goals
Excerpt: "Not all target-date funds are alike. Fund companies take myriad approaches to risk and potential return, using proprietary assumptions to create model portfolios, and investors should keep these differences in mind as they shop around, the J.P. Morgan report noted." (MarketWatch.com via Human Resource Executive Online; free registration required)
Union Negotiations Prompt Discrimination Complaint
Excerpt: "A proposal by Miller Brewing Co. to reduce pension benefits has prompted one union to file a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Working Paper Abstract: Optimal Asset Allocation in Asset Liability Management
Excerpt: "We study the impact of regulations on the investment decisions of a defined benefits pension plan. We assess the influence of ex ante (preventive) and ex post (punitive) risk constraints on the gains to dynamic, as opposed to myopic, decision making." (National Bureau of Economic Research; paid subscription or individual purchase required to retrieve full-text)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Vet Shot in Iraq Has to Fight for Benefits
Excerpt: "It is a tense bureaucratic triage faced by thousands of wounded American soldiers as they negotiate their return to civilian life. If they are rejected by the military disability system, they can try their luck with the overwhelmed Department of Veterans Affairs, which means another lengthy process with uncertain results." (Los Angeles Times; free registration required)
Federal Program Offers Low-Income Senior Veterans Up to $1,801 Per Month
Excerpt: "The program serves 65-and-over wartime veterans or widowed spouses. They can qualify for the basic pension if they have low incomes. They can qualify with higher incomes if they need assistance with daily activities, such as driving, meals or bathing. For some, the benefit changes lives, making an assisted-living facility or retirement community affordable." (The Charlotte Observer; free registration required)
China Scrambles for Stability as Its Workers Age
Excerpt: "The proportion of people 60 and older is growing faster in China than in any other major country, with the number of retirees set to double between 2005 and 2015, when it is expected to reach 200 million. By midcentury, according to United Nations projections, roughly 430 million people -- about a third of the population -- will be retirees." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Newly Posted Events
Brave New World....403(b) Plans after the Proposed Regulations
in Pennsylvania on April 5, 2007
presented by Central Pennsylvania Chapter - ISCEBS
Follow the Money -- Will Congress and the President Turn to Compensation and Benefits for Revenue?
Nationwide on June 6, 2007
presented by Deloitte
International Medical Tourism Conference
in Nevada on April 30, 2007
presented by Epstein Becker & Green
Pay for Performance 2007 Web Summit
in California on April 23, 2007
presented by Healthcare Web Summit
Pension Basics: Cash Balance Plans - Live Webinar
Nationwide on April 26, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Pension Basics: Cash Balance Plans - Live Webinar
Nationwide on May 22, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Pension Basics: Introduction to Eligibility - Live Webinar
Nationwide on May 10, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Pension Basics: Introduction to Vesting - Live Webinar
Nationwide on April 12, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Pension Protection Act: Nonspouse Rollovers after PPA - Live Webinar
Nationwide on May 8, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Pension Protection Act: The Changes in Vesting for Non-Elective Contributions Effective January 1, 2007 - Live Webinar
Nationwide on April 10, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Pension Protection Act: The Changes in Vesting for Non-Elective Contributions Effective January 1, 2007 - Live Webinar
Nationwide on April 24, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Quarterly Benefit Statements Required by the Pension Protection Act: What is Required to be Distributed to Participants by May 15th - Live Webinar
Nationwide on April 17, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
Quarterly Benefit Statements Required by the Pension Protection Act: What is Required to be Distributed to Participants by May 15th - Live Webinar
Nationwide on May 3, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.
The Latest on the Pension Protection Act
in Massachusetts on March 27, 2007
presented by International Society of CEBS - Greater Boston Chapter
Newly Posted Press Releases
U.S. Labor Department Sues Georgia Health Provider and Affiliates Over Mismanagement of Plan Assets
U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Good News about Retirement Savings
Principal Financial Group
Feed the Pig(TM) Podcasts Offer Money Saving Tips For Young Americans
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Pension Consultants/Administrators
for Northern NJ Mid-Size Pension Consulting Firm
in NJ
401(k)/Defined Contribution Valuation Processor
for National Retirement Services, Inc.
in CA, NC
Public Policy Analyst II
for National Business Group on Health
in DC
Trust Relationship Officer
for First Citizens Bank
in NC
Consultant /Associate
for Buck Consulting and ACS Company
in MA
401(k) Plan Administrator
for Pension Benefit Administrators
in TX
Employee Benefits Account Manager
for L/B/W Insurance & Financial Services, Inc.
in CA
Health and Group Benefits Manager
for Esterline Technologies Corporation
in WA
Supervisor: National Accounts Claims
for Standard Insurance Company
in OR
Senior Pension Consultant / Administrator
for Benefits Integrity
in CO
Staff Attorney
for A Defined Contribution, Money Purchase, Church Pension Fund
in NY
Health & Welfare Benefits Consulting
for Fidelity Investments
in MA, NY
Actuarial Benefit Consultants
for Bradsby Group
in CA, MA, NC, NY
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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