DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.

Director, Benefits (Administrator III)
University of Oklahoma - Norman
in OK

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Overview of the QHP Certification Process
February 13, 2014 WEBCAST
(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))

Essential Community Providers and Network Adequacy
February 20, 2014 WEBCAST
(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))

ERISA Litigation Update 2013/2014
February 20, 2014 in CA
(Western Pension & Benefits Council - Orange County Chapter)

403(b) Plans for 401(k) Practitioners (3 parts)
February 25, 2014 WEBCAST
(SunGard Relius)

Accreditation
February 27, 2014 WEBCAST
(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS))

East Coast Defined Contribution Conference
March 2, 2014 in FL
(Pensions & Investments)

HSAs, HRAs, and Consumer-Driven Health Care
April 9, 2014 in GA
(Thomson Reuters / EBIA)

ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans
April 9, 2014 in GA
(Thomson Reuters / EBIA)

COBRA Compliance for Group Health Plans
May 23, 2014 in MN
(Thomson Reuters / EBIA)

View All Webcasts and Conferences

[Guidance Overview]

Puerto Rico Treasury Department Issues Guidance on Retirement Plan Limits for 2014 (PDF)
"For plans qualified only in Puerto Rico ... and for plans qualified both in Puerto Rico and the US ... the limits on annual benefits, annual contributions and plan compensation all will increase. However, the limits on elective deferrals, after-tax and catch-up contributions, and the highly compensated employee threshold, will remain unchanged for 2014." (Groom Law Group)  

[Advert.]

ftwilliam.com New Innovative Plan Document Software Webinar

Join us February 20 and learn all about the new features that will help you streamline PPA Restatements. Document preparation and restatement don't have to be a painful. We've come up with all of the tools and delivery methods to make your life easier.

AOL Reverses Controversial 401(k) Year-End Match; Other Companies Are Sticking with It
"[T]he whole idea around 401(k) accounts is that employees have decades to save, and over the long haul, investing through ups and downs should pay off. This is why for younger employees -- the same people who probably don't have traditional pensions waiting for them at retirement -- the timing of these 401(k) matches is so critical." (The Washington Post; subscription may be required)  

New Research Suggests Why It's Hard to Sell Annuities to ERISA Plan Participants
"James Choi, Yale University ... explains 'If you anticipate lumpy expenditure needs in retirement (e.g., out-of-pocket medical expenses), you want some liquid wealth to cover those expenses.' ... [E]mployees are more likely to select an annuity option when a 'partial' option is offered ... Given the 'all or nothing' choice, participants chose the lump sum 50% of the time. With the 'partial choice,' participants picked annuities 80% of the time ... [and] will only choose full annuitization 21% of the time[.]" (Fiduciary News)  

Recording and Transcript of IRS Phone Forum on International Issues Involving Retirement Plans in U.S. Territories
"[Topics include a] general update of current international activities, results of international compliance projects, and initiatives for fiscal year 2013, and ... a more in-depth discussion of activities in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands." (Internal Revenue Service)  

When Pension Plan De-Risking, Don't Let Orange Become the New Black
"De-risking involves advantages and disadvantages to both the plan sponsor and the plan. One potential problem is that the plan sponsor wears two hats: you act in your own corporate interests while your internal ERISA fiduciaries must act for the exclusive benefit of the plan under federal law requirements. A decision based mostly on the advancement of the shareholders' interests could spell trouble." (Fiduciary Plan Governance, LLC)  

[Advert.]

National Conference on ESOPs and Stock Plans: April 2014

If you work with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) or equity compensation plans, the Employee Ownership Conference in Atlanta will keep you up to date. Early rate expires on March 17, hotel room block is filling up -- act soon!

In Search of Yield: The Case for Actively Managed High Yield Bond Funds (PDF)
"For investors who can sustain some increased portfolio volatility, high yield bonds may offer three distinct benefits. First, they may pay a higher coupon than Treasuries and high grade corporate bonds. Second, they may also have a lower sensitivity to price declines than their higher quality counterparts during periods of rising interest rates. Third, since high yield bonds tend to track equity market behavior, they may offer a valuable measure of non-correlation to a portfolio. When combined with other income asset classes in a diversified portfolio, high yield bonds may temper principal fluctuation and potentially enhance returns over the long term." (Ridgeworth Investments)  

Pension Finance Watch, January 2014
"Pension finances endured a rocky start to 2014. There were major hits to both asset and liability measures -- as equity returns were uniformly negative and interest rates dropped significantly. The Towers Watson Pension Index dropped 5.1%, to 74.2, essentially giving up all the prior quarter's gains." (Towers Watson)  

Asset Management 2020: A Brave New World
"[T]he volume of investable assets is set to increase from around $64 trillion today to $102 trillion by 2020, a compound growth rate of nearly 6%.... Fees will be under continued pressure amid the ongoing push for greater transparency and comparability.... Full transparency over investment activity and products will exist at all levels; there will be nowhere for non-compliant managers to hide as regulatory and tax reciprocal rights criss-cross the globe.... By 2020 virtually all major territories will have introduced regulation to better align interests with the end customer." (PricewaterhouseCoopers)  

'Tontine' Pensions: A Solution to the State and Local Pension Underfunding Crisis
"[U]nlike traditional pensions ... tontine pensions would always be fully funded. Second, unlike a traditional pension -- where the pension plan sponsor must bear all the investment and actuarial risks, with a tontine pension, the plan sponsor bears neither of those risks.... [T]ontine pensions would provide significantly higher retirement benefits than commercial annuities.... [This article] ... shows how such a model tontine pension could be used to replace a typical, large traditional pension plan like [CalSTRS]." (Jonathan Barry Forman and Michael J. Sabin, via SSRN)  

[Opinion]

MyRA: The Administration Uses Disintermediation to Answer FSI's and SIFMA's Whining
"Investors in these accounts will see years when the stock market soars, yet their returns are very low.... And, when investors accumulate $15,000 in the accounts and are forced, by current regulations, to roll the account over into a Roth IRA, they will likely scream. Why abandon an account which apparently has no annual fee and an extremely low annual expense ratio? It won't be long before the MyRA account limit is raised substantially, or limits are removed completely. In essence, financial services disintermediation takes place. And it will continue to take place, now that the door has been opened. This may be the beginning of the end of defined contribution plan and IRA accounts managed by private financial services firms." (Ron Rhoades)  

[Opinion]

Something for Nothing: It's Called the G Fund, and Comes Courtesy of the Federal Government
"[The G Fund] totaled $158.5 billion as of 12/31/2012, and returned 1.47% in 2012. While not exactly stellar (and debatably even 'decent'), the return available to other investors in government debt with the same principal guarantee and liquidity was less than 0.10%. In effect, then, the government is issuing securities to the G Fund at a lower price than it could sell it to others for. The excess interest payments seem to have totaled about $2 billion in 2012. Ultimately, of course, this extra cost is borne by taxpayers." (Russell Investments)  

[Opinion]

The U.S.A. Retirement Funds Act Is Good Legislation
"In most developed countries, government payments account for 60%-plus of income for those over the age of 65. In the United States, that figure is less than 40%, with the gap filled by higher private pensions (once defined-benefit [plans], paid from company coffers, but increasingly 401(k) plans, funded primarily by the individual worker) and by employment, as Americans are likelier to work at older ages.... [S]uccessful 401(k) legislation must emulate the USA Retirement Funds Act in retaining the existing retirement framework." (Morningstar Advisor)  

[Guidance Overview]

Do You Need Shareholder Approval for Your Incentive Plan in 2014?
"If the corporation's equity or annual incentive plan was last approved by shareholders in 2009, the plan(s) must be submitted to the shareholders for re-approval in 2014 in order to ensure that future awards qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m).... Corporations should carefully review their proxy disclosures to ensure that they do not suggest or imply that the corporation's plan and awards will qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m).... [C]orporations should establish and/or update grant procedures to ensure that awards are made in compliance with the plan's terms and that award limits are properly monitored." (Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC)  

Understanding the ISS Pay-for-Performance Assessment (PDF)
"ISS conducts a three part quantitative evaluation and a qualitative assessment of the alignment between CEO pay and company performance. Understanding how the ISS tests work and anticipating the results allows companies to be proactive in: [1] Drafting disclosure to make a compelling case for their pay for performance story and to facilitate a favourable qualitative review by ISS. [2] Engaging with shareholders to counter a potential negative ISS vote recommendation." (Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC)  

New Name, New Focus for Former CPI Qualified Plan Consultants
CUNA Mutual Group

Security Benefit Debuts New Crediting Option for Leading Fixed Indexed Annuity
Security Benefit

P&I Announces First-ever Global Conference: World Leaders In Retirement Industry To Explore Challenges And Opportunities
Pensions & Investments

MassMutual Retirement Services Unveils 2014 RetireSmart Seminar Series
MassMutual Retirement Services

WageWorks and Summit Health Partner for Wellness
WageWorks Inc.

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