BenefitsLink |   |
| August 8, 2007 |
Sponsored by: DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
| Software for 401(k), Pension and Flex Administration |
| Pick and choose the software modules you need:
DC/401(k) Proposals & Administration – DB Proposals & Administration – Retirement Plan Documents (Prototype and
Volume Submitters) – Government Forms (5500s, 1099-Rs, 5300s) – Cafeteria Plan Administration & Documents – Participant Termination Calculations – FAS 132 Reporting
Contact sales@datair.com or call 1-888-328-2474. |
Significant Guidance Documents - A New Web Page from the PBGC
Excerpt: "PBGC has added a link for Significant Guidance Documents under Laws, Regulations & Informal Guidance. This new page meets the requirements set under the Office of Management and Budget's 'Final Bulletin for Good Guidance Practices,' which requires that each agency maintain a list of current significant guidance documents on its Web site, with links to each document. Most of PBGC's significant guidance documents are already on the Web site under separate headings." (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation)
A Comparison of Limits in Tax-Qualified Retirement Plans With Those in Social Security: 1987 to 2007
Excerpt: "The legislated limits on covered compensation, benefits and contributions to tax-qualified retirement plans have been changed many times. Although the limits are indexed to consumer prices, these legislative changes have kept absolute dollar limits flat or only modestly higher from 1987 to today. By contrast, benefits under Social Security, which are indexed to faster-rising average wages, have increased significantly over the period." (Watson Wyatt Worldwide)
Fourth Circuit Affirms Trial Judgment for Defendants in US Airways 401(k) Stock-Drop Case (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "On August 1, 2007, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a defense judgment in a 401(k) employer stock case following a bench trial on breach of fiduciary claims. The appellate court's analysis of the Eastern District of Virginia's 58-page opinion presents a roadmap for how plan sponsors and fiduciaries should deal with employer stock in defined contribution plans." (Alston & Bird LLP)
Opinion: A Look at 401(k) Changes for the Year and a Listing of Providers (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "2007 promises to be full of dynamic and fundamental changes to the corporate retirement industry, which can mean dramatic improvements for anyone who understands and harnesses them. [The target page includes a directory of 401(k) providers.]" (Benefits & Compensation Solutions)
Economists Say 401(k) Plan Future Rosy Despite Gloomy Projections
Excerpt: "A trio of university economists argue in a research paper that most of the concerns that Americans' retirement savings are insufficient to pay for their golden years are overstated. A Dartmouth University news release said the study found that 401(k) wealth will continue to grow and that a financial market meltdown is unlikely despite the sometimes gloomy forecasts to the contrary." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Employers Want More Time to Comply with PPA Funding Rules
Excerpt: "As of press time, employers and industry analysts are still awaiting proposed regulations on Pension Protection Act provisions regarding selecting yield curves for interest rates, appropriate use of asset smoothing and how to determine whether a plan falls into the 'at risk' funding category. The issues mainly pertain to single-employer pension plan providers." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Active versus Passive Investment Management: Putting the Debate into Perspective (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "It is with the objective of providing our clients a clear analysis of the merits of an active versus passive investment approach that we undertake an evaluation. Our evaluation centers around broad asset classes, specifically large and small cap, in order to deliver a general overview and to provide the greatest utility for our clients. In more specialized asset classes, data and conclusions may be different. " (Arnerich Massena & Associates, Inc.)
Employee Ownership Cuts Taxes, Motivates Workers
Excerpt: "ESOPs play an important role in the regional economy, McIntyre said. 'Employee-owned companies tend to keep the jobs local, keep the ownership local, and tend to anchor capital in the local communities.' For many business owners, it can also be a way to transfer ownership while avoiding large capital-gains tax bills." (The Plain Dealer)
Big Ideas for Small Business Retirement Plans
Excerpt: "A recent survey by the National Association for the Self-Employed found that the biggest barrier to a business-based retirement plan was that the business owners couldn't afford to administer or contribute to one. And small businesses are the fastest growing employment sector in the economy." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
Sponsored by: Mid-Sized Retirement & Pension Plan Management Conference
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
| October 7–10, 2007 - Chicago Marriott Downtown |
| Does your retirement program feel as though it’s boxed in, challenged by regulatory concerns, fiduciary issues and uncertainty over new plan design options? There is good news ahead! One educational program provides real, take-away solutions to all your 401(k) or defined benefit plan issues. The Mid-Sized Retirement & Pension Plan Management Conference can enable your company to think "outside of the box," reach its goals and help your employees meet their retirement income needs. |
| (Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) |
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Displaying the Funding Status of Postretirement Plans: The Impact of SFAS 158 Disclosure
Excerpt: "FASB believes that SFAS 158 will result in a more complete, comparable, and representationally faithful presentation of postretirement benefit plans. The cost of implementation should be minimal, but the impact on future postretirement plan policies and practices, cost of capital computations, and labor negotiations may be significant. What is certain is that, just like SFAS 106, SFAS 158 will be a significant item of discussion in corporate boardrooms." (The New York State Society of CPAs)
Social Security: Basic Data
Excerpt: "The report tells how much beneficiaries receive, describes how Social Security is financed, and explains its financial status." (AARP)
Overview: SEC Adopts Final Rule Regarding Internet Access to Proxy Materials (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "The SEC recently adopted amendments to the proxy rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), which enable shareholders to choose the means by which they access proxy materials and require issuers to make proxy materials available via the Internet. In particular, the amendments provide that issuers must comply with the notice only option, the full set delivery option, or a combination of the two when distributing proxy materials to shareholders." (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)
Many 'Paper Millionaires' Understand Less About Their Stock Options Than They Think
Excerpt: "More than 50 percent of publicly traded companies award stock options, and about 10 million U.S. employees now hold them. In aggregate, Americans hold 1.2 billion options, representing $80 billion in value. Stock options, in fact, make up more than 50 percent of the total compensation for the top 10 percent of corporate executives. Yet some of those happy option holders will ultimately collect less than they expect." (CFO via NewsEdge Corporation via Human Resource Executive Online; free registration required)
Think Tanks Talk Back to Robert J. Samuelson
Excerpt: "Last week, Robert J. Samuelson criticized think tanks as failing to offer reasonable ways to address 'the huge budget costs of aging baby boomers' ['Making the Think Tanks Think,' op-ed, Aug. 1]. [The target page contains] three responses to Samuelson's argument . . . ." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
Cato Institute Scholars Have Been Writing About Need for Entitlement Reform for Almost Three Decades
Excerpt: "Robert J. Samuelson challenges think tanks to come up with solutions to the 'huge budget costs of aging baby boomers.' We thought you'd never ask." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
Benefits Web Technology Use Growing but Could Improve
Excerpt: "The Trends in Benefits Web Technology: 2006 Research Among Benefits Plan Sponsors report includes data about 10 different insurance carriers from two Prudential studies - Study of Employee Benefits: 2006 & Beyond and 2006 Plan Sponsor Web Benchmarking Study. Copies of these studies are available at www.prudential.com." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Overview: Determining Specified Employees for Purposes of Code Section 409A (PDF)
6 pages. Excerpt: "Under the final regulations, a publicly traded company and its affiliates that comprise its controlled group must determine each year a single list of who the specified employees will be for that year. The list will apply to all plans that are subject to Section 409A in the controlled group." (Baker & McKenzie)
Newly Posted Events
Executive Compensation Institute: Complying With Code Section 409A
in Illinois on September 11, 2007
presented by Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits at The John Marshall Law School
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
(Post a Job | View All Jobs |
RSS Feed )
ERISA Consultant
for Vanguard
in PA
Trust Administrator Employee Benefit Trust
for The Mechanics Bank
in CA
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Product Manager
for RolloverSystems, Inc.
in NC
Associate Product Manager
for Citi Smith Barney
in NY
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter, Too!
Sign-up form is at https://benefitslink.com/newsletter (free).
This newsletter is sent to you each workday except federal holidays.
This email has been published by:
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park FL 32789
(407) 644-4146
Fax: (407) 644-2151
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor
Copyright 2007 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can forward this email in full (including this boilerplate part) or otherwise reprint this email in full (including this boilerplate part) without obtaining our permission.
Anyone can receive these emails; just have them sign up at this web page: https://benefitslink.com/newsletter/
Other useful links: