To EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com To BenefitsLink home page

BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter

February 24, 2012 Get Health & Welfare News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues  |  Search

Employee Benefits Jobs

Account Services Representative
for Verisight, Inc in CA

Benefits Assistant
for Benefits Administrators & Consultants in CO

Account Manager II/III Small Markets
for Lincoln Financial Group in IN

Product Manager
for ASPire Financial Services, LLC in FL

Post Your Job on EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com

View All Jobs

RSS feed for jobs RSS Feed: All Jobs


Webcasts and Conferences

Employee Benefit Plan Audit Issues
in Florida on March 20, 2012 presented by ASPPA Benefits Council of Central Florida

Spanish-language Health Benefits Webinar
Nationwide on February 29, 2012 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Women and Retirement: What Every Woman Should Know Before it’s Too Late Forum
in Massachusetts on February 25, 2012 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)


We also publish the BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (free): Subscribe

[Official Guidance]
IRS Revised Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return (PDF)
The revised form reflects the extended payroll tax cut. (U.S. Internal Revenue Service)


Ensure your Plan Participants are Prepared for a Secure Retirement   [Advert.]

Sponsored by Pensions & Investments

Defined Contribution Conference, March 11-13, in Miami. Learn from your peers through presentations and discussions on plan design, communications, investment options and more. FREE registration for qualified plan sponsors. Click here for more.


[Guidance Overview]
Allowing Employee Investment in ESOP or 401(k) Employer Stock Fund Becomes a Bigger Gamble: Sixth Circuit Decision in Pfeil v. State Street Bank & Trust Co.
"The Sixth Circuit has reversed the district court's dismissal of the GM ERISA stock-drop suit ... and is allowing the case to proceed. You may recall that we cautioned fiduciaries of ESOPs and 401(k) plans allowing investment in employer stock to keep an eye on this case because it could be a game-changer. And now it is." (Porter Wright)

[Guidance Overview]
IRS Allows Pension Annuity Purchases with Rollovers from Sponsor's DC Plan
"IRS's Revenue Ruling 2012-4 provides retirement plan sponsors guidance that permits their qualified defined benefit (DB) plan the ability to accept a direct rollover from their qualified defined contribution plan (DC), allowing participants to purchase an annuity that is incremental to the amount the DB plan would ordinarily provide." (Milliman)

[Guidance Overview]
PBGC Offers Temporary Relief for Premium Nonpayment
"If required PBGC premiums were never paid for a plan, it is also possible that annual Form 5500s were not filed for that plan. If so, the administrator should take advantage of the Department of Labor's Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program to file all required past-year Form 5500s." (McGuireWoods)

[Guidance Overview]
DOL's Final Service Provider Fee Disclosure Regulations (PDF)
"[Responsible Plan Fiduciaries] should consult the DOL's website regarding fee disclosure failure notices. The DOL is currently developing the online filing system for such notices and provides that the system will available before the date needed to comply with the exemption." (Buck Consultants)

California Governor's Pension Reform Bill and Constitutional Amendment Proposed February 2, 2012
"This memo is a first cut analysis of the proposals, limits and questions." (Hanson Bridgett)

Good Pension Governance: There Is a Return on Investment (PDF)
"This article discusses what good pension governance is and how it can be measured to quantify a return on investment (ROI). It also shows how to determine what differentiates effective governance from mediocre governance. Finally, it discusses the benefits of good pension governance and concludes with an example of a company that went wrong — to show that the costs of inadequate governance can be considerable." (Buck Consultants)

Public Pension Plan Investment Returns (PDF)
"For fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, state and local government retirement systems had a median investment return of 21.6 percent. With a slow economic recovery and ongoing global market volatility, it is important to keep in mind that a long-term focus is an overarching factor in public pension investment strategies and projections. This issue brief discusses how investment return assumptions are established and evaluated and compares these assumptions with public funds' actual investment experience." (National Association of State Retirement Administrators)

Assessing Reasonableness of 403(b) Fees (PDF)
"In an environment of change, adopting best practices for a disciplined and prudent process can help your organization evaluate fee reasonableness and provide a practical defense against fiduciary liability. Whether you have a 403(b) or a 401(a) plan, this process should include identifying the individual(s) at your organization responsible for evaluating plan fees and service quality." (TIAA-CREF)

Bank of America to Freeze DB Plans
"All eligible U.S. employees will move to a single 401(k) plan while retaining all the pension plan benefits earned up to June 30, the spokesman said." (Business Insurance)

Seven 401(k) Strategies for 2012
"Some strategies for maximizing the performance of 401(k) plans, spurring greater participation levels, and achieving regulatory compliance are boilerplate at this point for many plan sponsors. But they should consider some other, specific measures in response to recent events and trends in the defined-contribution-plan space[.]" (CFO)

President Obama Signs Bill Extending Payroll Tax Cut through December 31, 2012
"On February 22, 2012, President Obama signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which extends through December 31, 2012, the reduced payroll tax rate of 4.2% that was due to expire at the end of this month." (Practical Law Company)

Upcoming IRS Phone Forum: Indian Tribal Government Retirement Plans, April 24, 2012
"This forum will address possible standards for determining whether a plan of an Indian Tribal Government is a governmental plan within the meaning of section 414(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. The standards under consideration are described in Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking REG-133223-08." (U.S. Internal Revenue Service)

Maine Restrictions on 'Double Dipping' May Be Revamped
"[A state senator] is sponsoring a new bill meant to limit the restrictions to superintendents and principals, not classroom teachers and state workers.... Those limits sought to reduce the number of double dippers, estimated to be in the hundreds, who some say retire on a Friday and return to work the following Monday newly eligible to collect both their retirement checks and a paycheck." (Kennebec Journal)

Spending Adjustments Made by Older Americans to Save Money (PDF)
At page 7. "Using old-age consumption data to calculate required retirement income is better than calculating ad hoc income replacement rates. However, one problem with relying on consumption data for such a study is that falling consumption may be involuntary, reflecting an inability to spend due to lack of funds rather than optimal spending behavior." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

For Many Elderly, Little Left in Savings and Investments As Life Ends
"[A] frightening share of the elderly seems to run out of money, and plausible explanations run the gamut. They may have started with few financial assets as they entered retirement, a well-documented problem. Inadequate retirement income from employer pensions or Social Security is another reason to deplete assets rapidly. And a mere $10,000 in the bank at the end of one's life provides no clues as to how many corners were cut during years, even decades, of retirement." (Financial Security Project at Boston College)

Why Women Are Having a Tough Time Saving for Retirement
"[A] 2010 study found that 92% of women don't feel educated enough to reach their retirement savings goals, but that 56% of them want to be." (Business Insider)

[Opinion]
403(b) Specialist Discusses Retirement-Plan Tips and Traps for Educators and Other Workers in the Nonprofit Sector
"[Morningstar] recently interviewed Dan Otter, whose website, 403bwise.com, aims to help investors make sense of the often-confusing 403(b) marketplace. Otter discussed the 403(b) landscape and shared tips for 403(b) participants aiming to sift among a confusing array of choices." (Morningstar)

[Opinion]
Investment Company Institute Statement on Massachusetts Bills to Establish State-Run Retirement Plans for Private-Sector Workers (PDF)
"The Institute strongly supports efforts to promote retirement security for American workers and appreciates the interest of the legislature in ensuring that Massachusetts residents have sufficient resources for retirement." (Investment Company Institute)

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Official Guidance]
Notice of 160th Meeting of Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans (PDF)
"The meeting will [be held on March 13, 2012, in Washington, DC]. The purpose of the open meeting ... is to welcome the new members, introduce the Council Chair and Vice Chair, receive an update from the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and determine the topics to be addressed by the Council in 2012." (U.S. Employee Benefits Security Administration)

Use of Electronic Distribution of SPDs Continues to Grow
"Employers are realizing that not only does electronic distribution of Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) save money; it results in faster distribution of SPDs that better reflect current plan provisions than materials distributed as printed hard copies." (HighRoads)

Tax Relief and Health Care Acts Shape 2011 Returns
"Although most of its major provisions will take effect in subsequent years, the health care reform legislation passed in 2010 contained some provisions that were effective in 2011." (Journal of Accountancy)

Press Releases



BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Phone (407) 644-4146
Fax (407) 644-2151

Jeanette Hull, News Editor
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
Lois Baker, J.D., President
Holly Horton, Business Manager

Copyright © 2012 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

All materials contained in this newsletter are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

Links to Web sites other than those owned by BenefitsLink.com, Inc. are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of BenefitsLink.com, Inc. was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.

More useful links: