Group Insurance Contract Analyst
for MetLife in FL, NY

Plan Administrator
for The Newport Group in VA

Benefits Specialist 5
for The Boeing Company in IL, WA

Vice President, Sales
for Cammack LaRhette Consulting in MA

Pension Consultants/Administrators
for Northern NJ Mid-Size Pension Consulting Firm in NJ

Retirement Plan Paralegal
for MidAmerica Administrative & Retirement Solutions, Inc. in FL

Strategic Communications Consultant
for New York Life Retirement Plan Services in CA

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"Rehired Employees - Solving the Mystery" Web Seminar
Nationwide on July 28, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius

COBRA and Affordable Care Act Compliance Workshops - Free
in California on July 21, 2011 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

HIPAA and Other Health Benefits Laws: Compliance Assistance Seminar
in New York on September 21, 2011 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Improving Employee Productivity & Loyalty: 5 Issues Addressed with a Group Legal Plan
Nationwide on August 8, 2011 presented by Hyatt Legal Plans, a MetLife company

Improving Productivity & Loyalty: 5 Issues Addressed with a Group Legal Plan
Nationwide on July 27, 2011 presented by Hyatt Legal Plans, a MetLife company

Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure — Compliance Deadline Is Looming Webinar
Nationwide on August 25, 2011 presented by Thompson Interactive

The Basics of Multiple Employer Plans
Nationwide on July 12, 2011 presented by Erisafile Qualified Pension Consulting, Inc.

The Basics of Multiple Employer Plans
Nationwide on July 28, 2011 presented by Erisafile Qualified Pension Consulting, Inc.

Disaster Relief Relating to PBGC Deadlines in Response to Flooding in North Dakota
"[PBGC] is waiving certain penalties and extending certain deadlines in response to the flooding that occurred beginning on April 14, 2011, in North Dakota" (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation)

Western Benefits Conference 2011   [Advert.]

Featuring groundbreaking sessions for plan sponsors, attorneys, consultants, health & welfare professionals, actuaries, investment advisors and TPAs, the WP&BC and ASPPA present the Western Benefits Conference July 24-27 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

GASB Proposes to Significantly Improve Pension Reporting
"It should be noted that the proposals relate only to accounting and financial reporting and do not extend to how governments approach pension plan funding. There is a close connection in existing standards between how governments fund pensions and how they account for and report information about them in audited financial statements. As proposed, Governments Would Recognize a Pension Liability on the face of their financial statements." (Governmental Accounting Standards Board)

Exposure Draft Supplement: Proposed GASB Statement's Plain-Language Supplement
20 pages. 'The reasons the GASB concluded that the effectiveness of the pension standards could be significantly improved include: [1] Changes in governmental accounting and financial reporting since the existing pension standards were issued in 1994, most notably the introduction of accrual-based government-wide financial statements; [2] An increasing need among the users of governmental financial reports for comparable information about pensions; [3] The continuing development of the basic concepts that are the foundation of the GASB's standards setting, especially the concepts regarding what constitutes a liability and an outflow of resources. The proposals are made in two Exposure Drafts. . . ." (Governmental Accounting Standards Board)

Financial Reporting for Pension Plans: Proposed Amendment of GASB Statement No. 25 [Exposure Draft] (PDF)
91 pages. Comments deadline: September 30, 2011. Excerpt: 'This proposed Statement would amend the requirements of Statements No. 25, Financial Reporting for Defined Benefit Pension Plans and Note Disclosures for Defined Contribution Plans, and No. 50, Pension Disclosures, as they relate to pension plans that are administered through trusts, or equivalent arrangements, that meet certain criteria." (Governmental Accounting Standards Board)

Accounting and Financial Reporting for Pensions: Proposed Amendment of GASB Statement No. 27 [Exposure Draft] (PDF)
176 pages. Comments deadline: September 30, 2011. Excerpt: 'The primary objective of this proposed Statement is to improve accounting and financial reporting by state and local governments whose employees are provided with pensions. It also aims to improve information provided by state and local governments about financial support for pensions that is provided on their behalf by other entities." (Governmental Accounting Standards Board)

GASB Proposes Changes to Calculating, Reporting Pension Costs
"The Pension [Exposure Draft] proposes that governments be required to report in their statement of financial position a net pension liability, which is the difference between the total pension liability and net assets (primarily investments reported at fair value) set aside in a qualified trust to pay benefits to current employees, retirees and their beneficiaries. It also proposes significant changes to how a government would calculate its total pension liability and pension expense." (Journal of Accountancy)

Public Pension Accounting to Radically Change
"The [GASB] would require pensions lacking sufficient assets to cover future benefits to lower their projected rate of return on investments to about 3 to 4 percent. Adequately funded pension systems could continue to forecast higher rates in line with what they have historically received on investments, which for most is around 8 percent." (FoxBusiness.com)

Mistakes in Illinois Strategy for Funding Pensions Pile Up
"Although the bulk of the state's $80 bil.lion-plus pension debt was caused by years of underfunding by the Legislature, it's far from the only reason the state now ranks dead last in pension plan funding. In the universe of public pensions, there are a handful of policies and practices that, when mixed together, are toxic to a well-funded and financially solvent plan." (Rockford Register Star)

Public Pension Reform: Recent Hits and Misses, But Changes Finally Happening
"It's said that local government is the laboratory of American democracy, and the pension reform trend is a good example of widespread variations on a theme. In some states, the rules of the game are rigged against policymakers seeking to make obvious changes to over-rich benefits formulas awarded to incumbent employees in the halcyon days of the Internet bubble—which cannot not be retracted under judicial precedents in certain states. The standard union line is that retirement benefits should be bargained on an employer-by-employer basis and there is no need for the legislature—or the voters—to get involved." (Governing.com)

Educators' Late-Career Pay Raises Strain CalSTRS Pension System
"A [Sacramento] Bee analysis detailed in a story last month found that the number of six-figure retirees in the CalSTRS system has increased sevenfold since 2005. Most $100,000 pensioners are former school administrators, and large pay bumps in the final years of their employment are a primary reason for the trend." (Sacramento Bee)

Restoring Solvency And Improving Equity in Social Security Benefit Options
"Gene Steuerle testifies on alternative ways to restore solvency and undertake benefit reforms in Social Security, concentrating on four: restricting automatic growth in benefits where needs are least, adjusting benefits so they both encourage employment and are concentrated more in older ages . . . ." (Urban Institute)

Michigan's 401(k) Plan Saved State More Than $4 Bil.lion
"Switching new hires to a 401(k)-style plan has cut the unfunded pension liability roughly in half since 1997, the report concluded. The report estimated between $2.3 bil.lion and $4.3 bil.lion had been saved." (Lansing State Journal)

7 Signs of a Good 401(k) Plan
"A good 401(k) plan with generous employer contributions can help propel you toward a secure retirement. But high fees and poor investment choices make some 401(k) plans a bad deal, even after accounting for the tax breaks." (US News and World Report)

Financial Advisers, Insurers Hail GAO Plug for Immediate Annuities
"Sales of immediate annuities totaled $7.5 bil.lion in 2009 and inched up to $7.6 bil.lion last year, according to data from LIMRA International Inc. Over the course of the next five years, the research organization expects sales to hit $13 bil.lion." (Investment News; free registration required)

PwC Issues Its Pension/OPEB 2011 Assumption and Disclosure Survey
"[P]lan funding levels improved somewhat, with pension plan assets increasing from 77% of the projected benefit obligation (PBO) at the end of 2009 to 81% at the end of 2010, due primarily to higher returns in the equity markets in 2010." (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP)

2011 Pension and Retirement Enacted Legislation
"39 of the 50 states enacted significant revisions to at least one state retirement plan in 2010 or 2011." (National Conference of State Legislatures)

U.S. Senate HELP Committee Hearing to Address Retirement Crisis
"Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, will convene a hearing on July 12 at 2:30 p.m. to examine the role pensions play in building a strong and vibrant middle class as well as stimulating the economy and fueling job creation." (PLANSPONSOR.com)

Fiduciary News Trending Topics for ERISA Plan Sponsors: Week Ending 7/08/11
"Having no idea what the fiduciary means, and worse, not caring, most IRA R/O investors are sheep heading for their (financial) slaughter. Not anymore, if the DOL's Phyllis Borzi has her way." (Fiduciary News)

The Pros And Cons of Automatic 401(k) Enrollment
"The Wall Street Journal concludes the law undercuts retirement savings. In contrast, Time magazine suggests, on balance, the law and resulting changes did more good than harm. The debate continues. In the meantime, here's a practical list of five pros and five cons of 401(k) auto-enrollment. . . ." (DailyFinance)

Seeking Investment Flexibility In a 401(k) Via Brokerage Accounts
"Your employer can simply add something called a self-directed option, also known as a brokerage or mutual fund window. At that point, your 401(k) or similar account becomes like a regular brokerage account, where you can buy any mutual or exchange-traded fund (and in some cases, any individual stock) you want." (New York Times; free registration required)

Fiduciary Debate Evades, And Is Finally Caught, in Partisan Crossfire
"The good news, as we all know, is the fiduciary issue is no longer in the policy closet gathering dust. The bad news is that it has become a partisan football where reasoned discussion over its merits is an unwanted stranger." (Fi360 Blog)

Automatic Enrollment? Not The End, Instead a Great Beginning
"The July 7 Wall Street Journal article suggesting that the decline in the average 401(k) participant savings rate is the result of companies recently implementing automatic enrollment (AE) misses the bigger picture. It may be a minor contributing factor, but the principal reason for that decline has been the economy." (Profit Sharing/401k Council of America)

Retirees Discounted Telephone Service Not ERISA Pension Plan
"Discounted telephone services provided to telephone company retirees did not constitute a pension plan subject to ERISA's funding, vesting, and disclosure requirements, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans (CA-5) has ruled in Boos v. AT&T Incorporated." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)

IRS Proposed Regulations Clarify Certain Equity Compensation Rules Under IRC Section 162(m)
"The IRS recently issued proposed Treasury Regulations that 'clarify' two aspects of the current Section 162(m) rules relating to equity-based compensation. The areas addressed include: (1) a transition rule for awards made shortly after a company becomes publicly traded; and (2) the required limit on the number of shares subject to grants of stock options or SARs." (Littler)

A Trend Toward State Recognition of Same-S.ex Civil Unions
"Any employer-sponsored benefits that are governed by federal law will not be affected by the civil union laws. These include certain retirement plans and health and welfare benefits governed by [ERISA] and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. However, insofar as state law governs a particular benefit (for example, insured health benefits), employers operating in a civil union state must generally treat an employee's civil union partner as a spouse for purposes of those state-regulated benefits." (Proskauer)

US Department of Labor Obtains Judgment to Restore Assets to Employee Benefit Plan of Defunct Sacramento, Calif., Company
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA))

GASB Proposes Major Improvements for Pension Reporting
(Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB))

Vanguard Issues New Profile of Participant Trends in 401k Plans of Eight Industries
(Vanguard)

Managers Shift Thinking on Target-Date Fund Management Approach
(Callan Associates)

Old Mutual Appoints New Director of Institutional Retirement
(Old Mutual Asset Management)