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BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter
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Employee Benefits Jobs
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Webcasts and Conferences
401(k) Plan Basics
in California
on May 8, 2012
presented by Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
Annual Plan Administration
in California
on May 8, 2012
presented by Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
Annual Plan Administration
in California
on May 16, 2012
presented by Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
401(k) Plan Basics
in California
on May 16, 2012
presented by Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
Form 5500 for Health and Welfare Plans: Preparation and Filing Basics
Nationwide
on April 12, 2012
presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA
Retirement 20/20: Rethinking the Three-Legged Stool
in Massachusetts
on May 18, 2012
presented by New England Employee Benefits Council
Choosing a Retirement Solution for Your Small Business Workshop
in Missouri
on April 24, 2012
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
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ERISA History: The April 13, 1999, Opinion in Commonwealth Edison Company v. Vega
"[T]he 7th Circuit settled a three-way tug-of-war between the State of Illinois, Commonwealth Edison and the Commonwealth Edison Service Annuity Plan over $125,000 in plan assets which the plan had written distribution checks for but, for some reason, the participants and beneficiaries had not cashed the checks within a five year period."
(The Pension Protection Act Blog)
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Boomers Flock to 'Longevity Insurance' for Retirement Security
"Is longevity insurance right for you? There's a good chance it is. It allows you to secure income for your much-later years with just a fraction of your portfolio today. The product is highly flexible; you can start your collection date in anywhere from one to 40 years and with each year you wait the monthly income grows. It makes planning much simpler because all that is left to figure out is income for a knowable period of time before you'll start collecting on the annuity."
(TIME)
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Stable Value Funds: Still Popular, Despite Fewer Guarantees
"Despite a low interest-rate environment, 401(k) participants at New York Life Retirement Plan Services haven't given up on stable value funds. In an analysis released Wednesday of its client base, the firm found half of all participants across its retirement platform have some of their 401(k) savings in a stable value investment."
(AdvisorOne)
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Video: FAQs Expected from DOL on Fee Disclosure Regulation
Total Run Time = 3:04. "Since the Department of Labor issued the final [regs], many questions have been raised on the exact impact of the new rule. In particular, the meaning of the term 'designated investment alternative' and whether asset allocation strategies should be classified as such. Michael Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of [DOL's EBSA], indicated at the ASPPA 401(k) SUMMIT held in March of 2012 that sub-regulatory guidance — in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs) — should be available on the DOL website 'within weeks'[.] Although not yet released, it is expected shortly."
(ASPPA)
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10 Ways Boomers Can Avoid Savings Shortfalls in Retirement
"Despite the savings challenge, there are steps Boomers can take to avoid running out of money in retirement, according to ... an education and advocacy group for women. Here's a 10-point checklist ... developed to help Boomers save themselves from retirement shortfalls."
(Financial Planning)
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Consumers' Tools for Retirement Planning
"To help educate consumers as part of National Retirement Planning Week, IRI has developed a set of consumer tips highlighting ways to ensure their retirement savings last throughout their lifetimes. These FINRA-cleared, client-approved tip sheets cover crucial retirement topics such as Social Security, Medicare, retirement savings plans and retirement income, as well as more in-depth topics such as partial 1035 exchanges and specifically tailored advice for middle-income Boomers."
(Insured Retirement Institute)
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Fee Disclosure to Participants and from Service-Providers: Answers for Plan Sponsors
"This set of questions and answers can help sponsors sort through issues related to these new DOL requirements. The Q&A reviews aspects of two regulations — one designed to provide transparency in plan fees and expenses to participants, and the other to enhance what service providers disclose to retirement plan fiduciaries."
(Vanguard)
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Higher Education's Response to the New Defined Contribution Plan Environment
"Many [private colleges and universities] are taking a hard look at how their 403(b) pension plans are designed and administered, and are taking action to control costs, comply with new regulations, mitigate risk and help their employees prepare for retirement.... [This article] provide[s] a checklist for plan sponsors and administrators."
(Towers Watson)
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Employee Advisory Committees Promote Benefits Buy-In
"Employee advisory committees, as the name suggests, are groups of employees who meet regularly or as needed to provide input on benefit programs and other issues affecting employees and the employment relationship. Some of these committees are highly formal, with set terms for members and with regularly scheduled meetings, with minutes taken and later shared. Many unions, colleges and universities, and public-sector employers maintain employee advisory committees. However, these committees can play a positive role in almost any organization."
(Society for Human Resource Management)
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401(k) Participant Fee Disclosure: The Collision of Fiduciary Duties, Social Media, and Say-On-Pay (PDF)
"[S]ponsors will be forced to demonstrate why their choice of recordkeepers and investment options ... create valuable benefits for participants and are well worth the fees the participants pay. Fiduciaries and sponsors should not discount the potential havoc that disgruntled participants can and will likely cause. After all, less than 30% of employees, age forty and over, are satisfied with their overall financial situation, and just 18% of employees who are not covered by a defined benefit pension — participate in only a 401(k) or 403(b) plan — are confident that they will be able to live comfortably during the first fifteen years of retirement."
(Investment Horizons, Inc.)
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Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
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China's New Foreign Exchange Control Rule on Equity Incentive Plans for Employees in Chinese Affiliates
"New requirements for foreign exchange registration of equity incentive plans are now in effect. Overseas-listed companies that grant equity awards to employees of their Chinese affiliates should review their registration status and periodic filing schedules to make sure they are in compliance, especially in view of the new, shorter deadline for filing quarterly reports and the need to file amendments."
(Pillsbury)
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EEOC Muddles the Reasonable-Factors-Other-Than-Age Defense to Disparate Impact Age Bias Claims
"Employers should consider how the EEOC and plaintiffs will use the revised regulations to attack employer policies that may be considered to have an adverse impact on older workers. In light of the five relevant 'considerations' identified by the EEOC, if your company is sued for disparate impact age discrimination under the ADEA, you can anticipate that your executives will be questioned by the EEOC and/or private counsel."
(Paul Hastings LLP)
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Press Releases
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Holly Horton, Business Manager
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