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401(k) Advisors
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Kutak Rock LLP
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T. Rowe Price
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2014 Webinar: Advanced HSA
February 6, 2014 WEBCAST
(Ascensus)

2014 Webinar: IRA Frontline Fundamentals – Part 1
February 11, 2014 WEBCAST
(Ascensus)

Opposing Perspectives on Recent ERISA Cases
February 12, 2014 WEBCAST
(John Marshall Law School)

Using Tactical Asset Allocation to Manage Participant Risk
February 13, 2014 WEBCAST
(National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) )

Employee Benefits Legislative Update — The Devil is in the Details with Craig J. Davidson, CEBS
February 18, 2014 WEBCAST
(FutureOffice Network)

Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Webinar Series I
February 25, 2014 WEBCAST
(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))

Health Plan and PBM Strategies to Curb Prescription Drug Abuse
March 5, 2014 WEBCAST
(Atlantic Information Services, Inc)

In the Wake of AMARA: Post-AMARA Pleadings and Remedies
March 11, 2014 WEBCAST
(ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits)

Cafeteria Plans
March 25, 2014 in WA
(Thomson Reuters / EBIA)

HSAs, HRAs, and Consumer-Driven Health Care
March 26, 2014 in WA
(Thomson Reuters / EBIA)

Annual HR Forum
June 3, 2014 in PA
(Corporate Synergies)

View All Webcasts and Conferences

[Guidance Overview]

PBGC Proposed Reg Would Reduce Administrative Burden on Multiemployer Plans (PDF)
"PBGC proposed to allow valuations every three years, instead of annually, for plans that are terminated by mass withdrawal but are not insolvent, where the actuarial value of the plan's nonforfeitable benefits is $25 million or less ... If a plan that is eligible to perform valuations only once every three years finds in its next valuation that the value of its nonforfeitable benefits exceed s $25 million, that plan will go back to performing valuations annually unless or until the value of its nonforfeitable benefits declines again to $25 million or less." (Buck Consultants)  

[Advert.]

Relius Web Seminars – A smart choice for pension professionals.

Be proactive in 2014. Help keep staff aware of developments and rule changes in the pension industry. Live Relius web courses qualify for CE credit with most credentialing authorities. Look to SunGard's Relius for education solutions.

Text of 'Sample Article' Provided by IRS for Organizations and Employers: 'Roth Account in Your Retirement Plan' (PDF)
A one-page overview of Roth accounts in 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans, including links to relevant IRS publications and web pages. (Internal Revenue Service)  

Tax Court Takes Restrictive View of One-IRA-Rollover-Per-Year Rule
"[T]he Tax Court ruled that each taxpayer is limited to one IRA distribution eligible for rollover per 12-month period, regardless of the number of IRAs the taxpayer may have.... [IRS] Publication 590 clearly states that each IRA owned by a taxpayer (not including beneficiary IRAs) is entitled to one rollover-eligible distribution per 12-month period. The Tax Court's ruling also conflicts with previous oral guidance from the IRS, and with language in many document provider's ... model-based and prototype IRA document disclosure statements." [Bobrow v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2014-21 (Jan. 28, 2014)] (Ascensus)  

Ten Reasons Retirement Experts Want You to Say 'No' to MyRA
"Create an emergency fund first.... It's not 'riskless' because it doesn't protect against inflation.... Investors can't make enough.... Current vehicles are better.... The investments are too limited.... Bonds are bad long-term investments.... The target demographic does not benefit from tax savings.... There is no employer matching.... It's a Ponzi scheme.... There's no guarantee the government will keep its word." (Fiduciary News)  

How Much Stock Should You Own in Retirement?
"Here are three different approaches financial experts are pushing, all of which conclude that people should be investing more heavily in stocks- -- even after they've collected the gold watch: [1] First reduce, then increase equity allocation over time ... [2] Divide assets into five buckets that can last 30 years ... [3] When allocating investments ... the 'bond' part should include any pension, along with Social Security." (The Wall Street Journal; subscription may be required)  

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AOL Follows IBM, Moves to Year-End Contribution of 401(k) Match
"The one-time lump sum is particularly troubling because one of the advantages to the 401(k) is that it's better suited than traditional pensions to a world in which workers change jobs multiple times. People can pick up their savings from one company and easily switch to another. But if more companies switch to matching contributions annually, the system punishes those who change employers mid-year. With every job change over time, the loss of a few months' contributions can amount to years." (The Washington Post; subscription may be required)  

Vanguard Reports Record 401(k) Account Balances
"In an increase fueled mostly by larger plans (those with 1,000 or more participants), 34% of Vanguard plans, including 60% of larger plans, have [moved to automatic enrollment] to help their employees save for retirement. This is up from 24% five years ago.... Forty percent of Vanguard participants now use [professionally managed investment] options, which include target-date funds, other balanced funds, and a managed account program. More than half (52%) of Vanguard plans are offering the Roth 401(k) feature[.]" (Vanguard)  

Pension Finance Update as of January 31, 2014 (PDF)
"After a phenomenal 2013, pension sponsors suffered a reversal in January, driven by lower stock prices and lower interest rates. The two 'model' plans we track both saw declines in funded status last month -- with traditional 'Plan A' down 5%, while 'Plan B' lost 2%." (October Three Consulting)  

Pension Plans Take Big Tumble in January After Record-Setting 2013 (PDF)
"[1] Pension funded ratio drops 6% in month to 89% by end-January, after having improved 21% in 2013. [2] Deficit increases by $129 billion from December 31, 2013. [3] Market drop on first trading day of February further exacerbates declines. [4] Funded status and interest rates are well above where they were a year ago and many sponsors are still considering risk transfer strategies." (Mercer)  

Equity Performance Leads to Solid Year for Institutional Plan Sponsors
"Public Funds performed best among all plan types for the 12 months ended December 31, 2013, with a return of 16.1 percent at the median. Foundations & Endowments followed with a return of 15.2 percent year-to-date and Corporate ERISA plans were third with a return of 12.6 percent." (Northern Trust)  

Global Pensions Asset Study 2014
"At the end of 2013 pension assets for the 13 markets in the study were estimated at USD 31,980 bn, representing a 9.5% rise compared to the 2012 year-end value. Pension assets relative to GDP reached 83.4% in 2013, which represents a 7.8% increase from 2012 ratio of 75.6%. The largest pension markets are the US, UK and Japan with 59.0%, 10.2% and 10.1% of total pension assets in the study, respectively. In USD terms, the pension assets growth rate of these three largest markets in 2013 was 12.0%, 13.3% and 2.2% respectively." (Towers Watson)  

Reforming the Second Tier of the U.S. Pension System: Tabula Rasa or Step by Step?
50 pages. Abstract: "This article focuses on how to reform America's employer-sponsored pension system. It begins with an overview of the current retirement system, which includes both Social Security and private pensions. Next, this article considers how much retirement savings workers will need to ensure that they have adequate incomes throughout retirement. Finally, the article offers some recommendations about what a good, second-tier (employer-sponsored) pension system would look like." (George A. McKenzie and Jonathan Barry Forman in the John Marshall Law Review)  

Mastering Retirement Decumulation
"[W]ithdrawal management is not a set-it-and-forget-it endeavor. This is in distinct contrast to the accumulation phase, when putting a plan in place and sticking to it can be a primary determinant of success. But when it comes to decumulation ... 'no plan survives contact with the enemy.' Any strategy put in place should be subject to change based upon market conditions, investment results, and changes in personal circumstances." (CapTrust)  

Small Business 401(k) Plans, Bipartisan Effort and Multiple Employer Plans
"Even if a small business 401(k) plan could save some money with a [multiple employer plan (MEP)] ... MEPs are more complex than single employer plans.... An employer that chooses to co-sponsor a MEP may have limited plan design and investment choices.... Each employer must count service performed for the other co-sponsoring employers for determining eligibility and vesting.... MEPs may be more prone to abuse than a single employer plan." (Employee Fiduciary)  

[Opinion]

Retirement Reality: Let's Raise the Mandatory Distribution Age
"[D]oes it make sense for people to be working, ready, willing and able to pay more into the retirement system yet forced to withdraw assets at the same time? The simple adjustment of pushing out the mandatory withdrawal age to 75-1/2 would acknowledge retirement reality. It would also have several knock-on benefits that could help take the edge off the retirement crisis." (Chip Castille in BlackRock Blog)  

Michael Murphy joins Mercer as National Sales and Marketing Leader, Benefits Administration
Mercer

Retrofit Names Former Yahoo! and Real Simple Executive Tanya Singer as Vice President of Engagement
Retrofit Inc.

Commonwealth Financial Program Is Certified For Fiduciary Excellence
Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX)

PBGC to Pay Benefits for Constar Inc. Employees
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)

The Entrust Group Introduces Complimentary Self-Directed IRA Transfers and Rollovers
Entrust Group

Schwab Retirement Plan Services Becomes First Major Firm to Launch Full-Service 401(k) Program Based on Exchange-Traded Funds
Charles Schwab Corporation

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