[Guidance Overview]
Computation of Earned Income for Retirement Plans in 2010 Unchanged by Temporary Health Insurance Deduction
"There has been debate about what [the temporary health insurance deduction for self-employed persons provided by the SBJA] means for purposes of retirement plan earned income for self-employed persons (determined under Code section 401(c)). Some commentators have suggested it would raise earned income for purposes of retirement plans. The technical explanation of SBJA, Publication 560, and informal conversations with the IRS confirms that the temporary health insurance deduction has no effect on earned income for retirement plans." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)

DATAIR Retirement Plan Document Software (advert.)

Cost-effective PC software gives you everything needed to produce and maintain accurate plan documents, SPDs, amendments and employee communications. Many choices of DC, DB, 403(b) and Cash Balance plan types, plus expert support from DATAIR's team.

[Guidance Overview]
IRS Answers Form 8955-SSA Questions
"To clarify some of the issues discussed in IRS's recent release of Form 8955-SSA, SunGard submitted several questions to the IRS and received responses from the IRS. The responses are not official guidance but the IRS indicated that they intend to include the questions and answers in upcoming materials posted on the IRS website." (SunGard Relius)

[Guidance Overview]
Asset Buyers May Be Liable for Seller's Unpaid Multiemployer Plan Contributions Under Successor Liability Rule
"If the assets of an employer that contributes to a multiemployer plan are sold, such sale will often trigger a withdrawal unless the buyer assumes the contribution obligations and other technical requirements are satisfied." (Pepper Hamilton LLP)

Be Certain to Get the Pension You Earned
"Are you having difficulty getting the pension or 401(k) plan funds you worked years to earn? Five pension counseling projects, funded through the U. S. Administration on Aging and serving plan participants and their beneficiaries in 22 states, can help." (Forbes.com LLC)

Retirement Income Planning for the Middle Market (PDF)
"In the middle market, the problem lies in the conflict between the seriousness of the client' s situation, the unavoidable complexity of most clients' needs, and the limited revenue that arises from most middle market cases." (Still River Retirement)

DOL Proposed Regulation Updates the Definition of ERISA Fiduciary (advert.)

Need help with DC specialized testing services, or participant notices, or preapproved plan documents? For information on how MassMutual’s team of ERISA consulting experts can help your company, please contact EASConsulting@massmutual.com.

Defined Contribution Participants Benefit from Staying the Course
"What is striking is the significant difference in growth between defined benefit and defined contribution plans. A review of the asset allocation in the two systems is at least part of the reason." (Profit Sharing / 401k Council of America)

Webinar: Public Pensions: Truth or Scare?
"This session will provide factual information on the state of public pension plans and actions taken by the states to address underfunding and projected shortfalls." (National Conference of State Legislatures)

The Danger of Fiduciary Status for Valuation Firms (PDF)
"Under [a] new definition, valuation firms would, for the first time since ERISA's passage, be subject to its stringent fiduciary duties and their attendant liability. Many predict that an unintended consequence of this expanded definition could be a concerted exit from the valuation market by firms that have traditionally performed valuation services." (Law360)

Pension Funds Shift from Focus on Returns to Making Asset Decisions in the Context of Liabilities
"Marking a development that, experts say, bodes well for the long-term survival of traditional pension plans, two recent reports find that sponsors of defined-benefit plans are more aware of the potential risks facing their plans and are more focused on mitigating those risks than they've been in the recent past." (Human Resource Executive Online)

The AT&T Pension Plan Class Action Lawsuit: Twelfth Update on the ERISA and ADEA Claims
"The oral argument on the appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit was held on Thursday, March 17, 2011. To listen to an audio of the oral argument, [you may click through from the target page]." (AT&T Pension Class Action Lawsuit)

Experts Say Florida Overstates Future Pension Returns
"Florida assumes its investments will make 7.75 percent a year, about average for the largest public pension plans." (St. Petersburg Times)

Does the Retirement Consumption Puzzle Differ Across the Distribution?
"Previous research has repeatedly found a puzzling one-time drop in consumption at retirement at the mean or median. This study expands upon the previous work by examining these same retirement changes across the entire consumption distribution through the application of quantile regression techniques on data from the 1990-2007 Consumer Expenditure Survey." (Social Science Research Network)

Financial Firms Adjust to New Retirement Realities
"'For most Americans, retirement is no longer 'smart' or achievable,' . . . . 'Of older Americans, 73% will work at least part-time as long as health permits. Firms need to tailor messaging and offer appropriate services and products.'" (On Wall Street and SourceMedia, Inc.)

[Opinion]
The Only Thing Worse Than a Nearly Empty Nest Egg Is a Ripped-Off One
"What's amazing is not only that the people who pull off financial abuse rarely do a perp walk . . . but that as far as I can tell no government agency requires them to post any fines/penalties on their websites or note them in handouts to prospective clients." (The Huffington Post)

[Opinion]
Financial Illiteracy Hinders Savings
"What can consumers, lawmakers, plan sponsors, plan providers, and other interested parties do to solve the retirement crisis? The answer lies in part with more education and more automatic features in plans. Basically, more learning and more tricks that overcome our innate behavior." (MarketWatch via Pension Research Council)

[Opinion]
Pension Rate of Return Reality
"Not everyone agrees that defined benefit plan rates of returns should hover around the magic eight percent that has been long used for determining funding status." (Pension Risk Matters)

[Opinion]
Why You Need to Watch Out When Management Teams Change Their Pension Accounting Practices
"If accounting can put most people to sleep, pension accounting could put them into a coma. Investors tend to look the other way rather than digging in -- which makes it easy for companies to sweep dirt under the rug." (The Motley Fool)

CEO Bonuses at 50 Major Corporations Had Biggest Gain in at Least Three Years
"Corporate directors said the sharp upturn was a sign of improved profits. Net income at the 50 companies increased a median of 19.4%." (The Wall Street Journal)

Companies Hope to Head Off SEC Rule That Could Require Embarrassing Disclosures Comparing CEO and Median Workers' Pay
"The rule requires U.S. publicly traded companies to determine what they pay each employee globally in salary, bonus, and benefits and then find the one whose pay falls at the exact midpoint to compare with the CEO's compensation." (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Newport Opens New Service Center as its Executive Benefits Business Grows
(Newport Group, The)

California Small Businesses More Likely to Offer Health Insurance After Learning of Key Provisions in Healthcare Law
(Pacific Community Ventures)

ASPPA

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401(k) Rekon Advisor Symposium - Englewood
in Colorado on April 19, 2011 presented by 401(k) Rekon