SunGard's Relius

Trust Accounting, Plan Integration & Database Management, Retirement Plan Administration
Growing NJ Employee Benefits, Retirement Planning & Actuarial Consulting Firm
in NJ

Defined Benefit Administrator
Growing Employee Benefits, Retirement Planning and Actuarial Consulting Firm
in NY

Education Consultant
Milliman
in TX

Defined Benefit - Implementation Analyst
Milliman
in TX

401(k) Administrator
TPS Group
in CT

401(k) Administrator
Swerdlin & Company
in GA

IRT Relationship Manager 3
Wells Fargo
in PA

401(k) Plan Associate Plan Consultant
America's 401k, Inc.
in TX

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5-Minute Fiduciary: Bonds -- Recorded
May 28, 2014 WEBCAST
(Conrad Siegel Actuaries)

Public Exchanges: Translating Lessons Learned Into Insurer Strategies for 2015 -- Recorded
May 29, 2014 WEBCAST
(Atlantic Information Services, Inc)

2014 Webinar: Understanding and Processing Transfers and Rollovers
June 10, 2014 WEBCAST
(Ascensus)

PPA Pre-Approved Plans Workshop - PPD Document - San Francisco
June 11, 2014 in CA
(SunGard Relius)

PPA Pre-Approved Plans Workshop - PPD Document - Denver
June 11, 2014 in CO
(SunGard Relius)

PPA Pre-Approved Plans Workshop - Corbel Document - Norfolk
June 11, 2014 in VA
(SunGard Relius)

2014 Webinar: IRA Basics
June 12, 2014 WEBCAST
(Ascensus)

High Duals Demo Opt-Out Rates: Why They’re Occurring and How to Reduce Them
June 17, 2014 WEBCAST
(Atlantic Information Services, Inc)

The Rise of HSAs: Past, Present, and Future Trends
June 25, 2014 WEBCAST
(Healthcare Trends Institute)

2014 IHC FORUM West
December 3, 2014 in NV
(The Institute for HealthCare Consumerism)

View All Webcasts and Conferences

[Guidance Overview]

IRS Guidance Provides Penalty Relief and Establishes Pilot Program for Some Late Filers of Form 5500
"By linking the IRS' penalty relief procedures to the DOL's DFVC Program, Notice 2014-35 gives late filers of Form 5500 Series returns an incentive to participate in the relief programs of both agencies. However, plan administrators and sponsors participating in both programs should be sure to submit Form 8955-SSA on paper with the IRS for the year at issue, even though the DFVC program requires Form 5500 series returns to be filed electronically using the EFAST2 system." (Practical Law Company)  

[Advert.]

Set Yourself Apart From Your Peers With the CEBS Designation

Co-sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the CEBS designation gives you the knowledge and confidence to succeed in today's business environment. Learn More!

Where Should You Convert -- Roth IRA or Roth 401(k)?
"While on the surface these two types of accounts are very similar -- they both, for example, offer the prospects of tax-free growth and future distributions -- there are a number of subtle, and not so subtle, differences that may make one type of conversion far more beneficial for you than the other.... [H]ere is a summary of some of the most important factors to consider when making this decision[.]" (The Slott Report)  

Tax Court Declines to Revisit Bobrow
"The U.S. Tax Court has declined to revisit its decision in Bobrow v. Commissioner, which found that a taxpayer could make only one nontaxable rollover contribution within each one-year period regardless of how many IRAs the taxpayer maintained." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)  

Disclaimers Can Be a Good Thing, Particularly in Benefit Statements
"Typical balance statements contain all sorts of fine print and legal language, but very rarely do they provide the statement that the account balance are subject to change in plain language in an obvious disclaimer. While this case is not definitive on the issue, it certainly suggests that providing participants with some sort of statement regarding the possibility that benefit levels or account balances are subject to change can serve as a reminder to participants that their retirement benefit are not guaranteed." [Spiewacki v. Ford Motor Co.-UAW Retirement Board of Administration, No. 1:13-cv-01972-JG (N.D. Ohio May 1, 2014)] (Fox Rothschild LLP)  

Stockton Bankruptcy Judge to Decide If CalPERS Should Bear Part of Losses
"Describing the thorny question of whether [CalPERS] should remain whole while other creditors absorb steep losses as a 'festering sore,' U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Klein said he needed to consider alternatives for the matter. CalPERS contends its protected status is guaranteed under law, and Stockton, which declared bankruptcy nearly two years ago, has not tried to impose any losses on the $285.2 billion pension fund." (Reuters)  

[Advert.]

Download your free report: Final Regulations on the ACA Employer Mandate

Understand your role and obligations to the ACA employer mandate final regulations. Download Bloomberg BNA's "Final Regulations on the ACA Employer Mandate" to get the latest on the ACA compliance standards facing benefits professionals.

California Governor Proposes Increasing CalSTRS Contributions
"[S]chool districts would see their annual contribution more than double to 19.1% of payroll from 8.25%, phased in over seven years. Teachers would pay 10.25% instead of the current 8%, while the state would boost its contribution to 6.3% from 3%.... The plan is expected to eliminate the $73.7 billion unfunded liability in about 30 years, according to the budget summary." (Pensions & Investments)  

Find Your Match: Tips for a More Successful DB Provider Search
"Start with fact finding: collect all relevant information about the DB plan ... Do a plan assessment: identify the plan's strengths, weaknesses and priorities.... Create a process to fairly evaluate different service providers and develop a formal Request for Proposal (RFP).... Develop a semi-finalist presentation scorecard to more easily identify which provider is likely to be the best fit." (The Principal Blog)  

Comparison of Profit Sharing Plan Allocation Methods, with Examples
"While the employer has discretion over making a profit sharing contribution, the method of allocating each plan participant's share of any contribution made must be specified in the Plan Document. There are numerous allocation methods than can be used, but the four basic methods are: [1] Salary Ratio; [2] Integration (or Permitted Disparity); [3] Age-Weighted; [and] [4] New Comparability.... To understand how the four basic allocation methods impact an employer, a case study is appropriate." (Manning & Napier)  

Seven Misconceptions about Retirement Plan Auto Features
"[Here] are seven common misconceptions plan sponsors have about retirement plan auto features: ... Our employees will resent the perceived loss of control over more of their paycheck.... If too many new participants join the plan, the match will become too expensive.... If we make everything automatic, employees won't take responsibility for their own retirement planning.... The extra work and expense to our company doesn't help our bottom line.... It will be a nightmare trying to administer all these new small accounts when employees leave the company.... Establishing a default investment for new auto-enrolled accounts increases our fiduciary liability.... Automatically enrolling employees won't really have much impact on their retirement readiness." (Pension Consultants Inc.)  

ERISA Anti-Cutback Rule at Heart of Debate on Proposal for Multiemployer Plans (PDF)
"Only plans that are in danger of becoming insolvent ... and which, after making necessary adjustments, will remain solvent, would be eligible for relief under the [National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans' (NCCMP)] proposal... Amending the anti-cutback rule could also help prop up the PBGC ... The problem with giving trustees the ability to cut retirees' pension benefits is that, 'when you give them the discretion to do so, in many cases they're going to have to use it' [said Karen Friedman, executive vice president and policy director at the Pension Rights Center in Washington, D.C.]." (Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Reporter, via Pension Rights Center)  

myRA: Helping Small Business Owners Support Their Employees' Retirement Goals
"For businesses, making myRA available to employees is straight-forward. Treasury will handle account set-up and maintenance and will provide informational materials for business owners to share with their employees.... [A]ll that interested employers have to do is to make Treasury-provided program materials available to their employees and set-up ongoing payroll direct deposits into myRA for interested employees.... myRA is not intended to replace current employer-sponsored retirement plan offerings." (U.S. Department of the Treasury)  

Marco Rubio's Plan to Fix America's Retirement System
"Rubio proposed raising the retirement age for younger workers, opening up the retirement program used by Congress to non-government workers, and eliminating the payroll tax for people who continue to work after reaching full retirement age. Rubio also proposed scaling back Social Security benefits for wealthy retirees by slowing how quickly benefits will increase for those retirees who may not rely as much on Social Security payments." (The Washington Post; subscription may be required)  

An Unusual Victory for the Mid-Atlantic Pension Counseling Project
"[J]ust days before Carol expected to receive her first monthly payment, she was told that she wasn't eligible for the benefit after all because her husband's multiemployer plan had been 'terminated by mass withdrawal' before her husband's death.... Because of Carol's plight and that of other similarly-situated widows, legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to close this gap. But the legislative process takes a long time.... Then something unexpected happened.... [A stranger] stepped forward, offering to pay Carol's survivor's benefit out of his own pocket." (Pension Rights Center)  

[Opinion]

The PBGC Looking Forward: A U.S. Chamber Position Paper (PDF)
"The [PBGC] should strengthen its commitment to encourage plan sponsors to continue to maintain defined benefit plans.... Changes in PBGC governance are needed to ensure its ongoing viability.... PBGC premiums should be affordable, administrable, fair, consistent, and predictable. Premiums should not be increased except as part of a long-term plan to address the future of private sector defined benefit plans and the PBGC.... The PBGC Participant and Plan Sponsor Advocate should be a liaison between the business community and the PBGC.... The PBGC should be more transparent about the modeling systems and assumptions used to calculate its deficit." (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)  

[Opinion]

Increasing PBGC Premiums: The Impact on Jobs and Economic Growth (PDF)
"The Administration budget proposal, piled on top of the two previous premium hikes, produces a peak reduction of 0.04 percent in GDP in 2016 through 2017. The cumulative damage from 2013 through 2023 under this case is $51.4 billion in 2012 dollars.... Because the PBGC premium hikes push up consumer inflation as well as decrease production, real personal income is affected more than GDP." [Detailed Executive Summary also available.] (The Pension Coalition)  

[Opinion]

Text of Joint Letter to U.S. House Opposing PBGC Premium Increases (PDF)
"We urge you to protect these job-creators, workers, and their retirement security by opposing any efforts to further increase premiums paid to the [PBGC] by sponsors of single-employer defined benefit plans.... In its 2013 annual report, the PBGC stated that the 'PBGC still has very substantial assets, and the day when we run out of money is years away.' The PBGC is not in immediate crisis. As such, raising PBGC premiums amounts to a tax on employers that maintain defined benefit plans to boost workers' retirement security." [Also sent to the U.S. Senate.] (U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 66 other trade associations and employers)  

[Guidance Overview]

IRS Issues Final Regs on Tax Treatment of Qualified Retirement Plan Distributions to Pay for Accident or Health Insurance Premiums
"Under the final regulations, beginning in 2015, payments by qualified retirement plans for accident or health insurance are treated as taxable distributions. However, amounts that are used to pay premiums for disability insurance that replace retirement contributions are not taxable if they meet certain requirements." (Practical Law Company)  

IRS Embarks on 409A Audits: Staying in Shallow Waters?
"[It] appears the initiative is targeted primarily at traditional nonqualified deferred compensation plans, or 'top hat' plans ... If so, the scope of these audits would be relatively comfortable for both the Service and the employers because Section 409A, to the extent it is ever straightforward, applies most understandably and objectively to traditional top hat plans." (Winston & Strawn LLP)  

Health Care Cost Institute to Develop Online Platform to Help Consumers, Employers and Regulators Examine the Price and Quality of Health Care Services
Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI)

CalPERS Launches Search for Chief Investment Officer
CalPERS [California Public Employees' Retirement System]

ShareBuilder 401k Celebrates Small Business Week by Waiving 401(k) Set-Up Costs May 12 - May 23, 2014
ShareBuilder 401k

BrightScope Announces Social Influence Rank for Financial Advisors
BrightScope

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