SunGard's Relius

Retirement Plan Consultant
Fringe Benefit Group
in IL

Allocation Manager
OneAmerica
in IN

Retirement Plan Administrator II (Compliance Analyst II)
Polycomp Administrative Services, Inc.
in CA

Director of Retirement Plan Administration
TPA Services, Inc.
in CO

Lead Pension Application Processor
UFCW & Employers Trust, LLC
in CA

Consultant
Ascensus
in IN

Retirement Plan Administrator
Aspire Financial Services LLC
in AZ

Retirement Plan Administrator - DB/DC
Aspire Financial Services LLC
in AZ

Internal Retirement Plan Consultant
Aspire Financial Services LLC
in CO, FL

Retirement Planning Consultant
Transamerica Retirement Solutions
in IA

Retirement Planning Consultant
Transamerica Retirement Solutions
in MI

Regional Manager - Retirement Education & Planning Services
Transamerica Retirement Solutions
in GA, NC, NY

Post Your Job

View All Jobs

RSS Feed: All Jobs

More with Less... Do it Best! Options for Benefits Administration and Operations
September 18, 2014 in OH
(Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - Cleveland Chapter)

Investment Boot Camp for Pension Actuaries
September 23, 2014 in IL
(Society of Actuaries)

An Opportune Time to Revisit Your Severance Issues Checklist
September 23, 2014 WEBCAST
(ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits)

Wrap Documents for Health and Welfare Plans: How Do They Work and Should You Have One?
September 24, 2014 WEBCAST
(Thomson Reuters / EBIA)

Enterprise Risk Management Symposium
September 29, 2014 in IL
(Society of Actuaries)

Supreme Court Preview
September 30, 2014 WEBCAST
(ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits)

View All Webcasts and Conferences

[Guidance Overview]

Handout for Upcoming IRS Webinar: Correcting Retirement Plan Mistakes Using IRS Correction Programs, September 4, 2014 (PDF)
29 slides. "Agenda: [1] The correction programs available under the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS); [2] Common failures and approaches to addressing them; [3] Procedural tips to facilitate VCP submissions processing; [4] The Voluntary Closing Agreement Program (VCAP) for issues that cannot be addressed under EPCRS; [5] Q&As -- Responses to selected questions submitted in advance of the presentation." (Internal Revenue Service [IRS])  

[Advert.]

ASPPA Annual Conference on October 26-29 in Washington DC

We don't just set the bar, we're constantly raising the bar for America's Retirement. And we unleash that tenacity at every ASPPA Annual Conference.

Judge Denies Claims by Retirement Plan Participants for Plan Investments Tied to Madoff
"Hundreds of people whose employers invested their retirement funds with Bernard Madoff cannot recover money from the liquidation of Mr. Madoff's firm because they weren't direct customers of the imprisoned Ponzi scheme operator, a bankruptcy judge has ruled.... Investors in the plans, however, still have a shot at recovering money, because the plans themselves have brought claims against Mr. Madoff's firm. [Irving Picard, the court-appointed trustee winding down Mr. Madoff's investment firm,] has denied the claim of at least one of the four plans, court papers show." [Securities Investor Protection Corporation v. Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, No. 09-11 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Aug. 22, 2014)] (The Wall Street Journal; subscription may be required)  

Final SEC Rules to Usher in Floating NAV, Fees, and Gates for Money Market Plan Investments (PDF)
"Since money market funds haven't had to distinguish between shareholders who are 'natural persons' and other types of shareholders before, [the authors] anticipate that existing money market funds that wish to maintain a stable share price will reorganize into two funds -- one with a stable share price for their retail shareholders (who meet the definition of 'natural persons' -- including participant-directed defined contribution plans) and the other with a floating share price for their institutional shareholders. The additional reorganizational expenses may pose a challenge for money market fund sponsors[.]" (Buck Consultants at Xerox)  

The Golden Goose Lays an Egg: Fiduciary Issues with Public Pensions
"[F]or all the eulogies we've heard pertaining to the corporate pension plan, public pension plans continue to thrive. Do they possess some immunity gene not found in their private sector brethren? ... The leverage of a voting constituency often makes it easier to sustain public employee pensions.... However, this 'positive' calls into question the very viability of the seemingly bottomless pit of a funding source.... Private sector organizations avoided this day of reckoning because to ignore the looming funding problems meant financial ruin, bankruptcy, and, eventually, oblivion." (Fiduciary News)  

Highway Funding Bill of 2014: What Does It Mean for Asset Allocation and Liability-Driven Investing?
"The highway funding bill includes a provision now commonly called 'pension smoothing,' which extends the interest rate smoothing initiated in the MAP-21 law of 2012. Interest rate smoothing introduced into the pension funding process via these laws could result in a shift away from liability-hedging assets and liability-driven investing in general. The continuation of the trend toward providing pension funding relief may lead to a reevaluation of the importance of risk when setting pension investment policies." (Towers Watson)  

[Advert.]

In-House Practitioner Registrants Attend for Free

Providing a forum for in-house counsel at plan sponsors, plan administrators and insurance companies and their outside legal counsel to benchmark litigation defense and regulatory compliance strategies for ERISA claims.

Five Items That Impact the Amount Your 401(k) Participants Need to Retire
"How much do your 401(k) plan participants need to accumulate in their accounts in order to retire without making significant lifestyle adjustments? Here are some estimates from the experts: 8 times final pay at age 67 -- Fidelity ... 11 times final pay at age 65 -- Aon Hewitt ... 18 times final pay -- EBRI ... 25 times final pay -- to ensure an annual withdrawal rate of 4%. With such a wide range of opinions, it can be hard for participants to know what to aim for." (Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants)  

Target Date Funds Decoded
"[T]here are many drawbacks that must be taken into consideration when investing in target-date funds: The concept of 'set and forget' is naive and can mislead investors. This investment structure does not guarantee that a defined contribution (DC) plan participant will achieve certain asset levels for retirement. Depending on factors such as asset allocation, age and financial markets the participant may never accumulate enough money to fund their retirement. Proprietary funds under the guidance of the TDF manager can pose a conflict." (planadviser)  

DC Plan Sponsors Hesitant to Make Distribution Recommendations
"All but 16% of plan sponsors polled for the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute (SRI) 'DC Plan Sponsor Perspectives' study indicated someone meets with retiring employees to discuss their distribution options.... Only three in 10 plan sponsors that meet with retirees -- or arrange for such meetings with plan provider representatives or plan advisers -- recommend a particular course of action." (PLANSPONSOR)  

2014 Accounting Assumptions Survey for Defined Benefit Plans
"The latest survey of accounting assumptions for defined benefit plans represents 1,225 companies from 44 countries. Overall, [the authors] observed an increase in both government and corporate bonds from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2013. For the fourth year, this analysis includes health care cost trend rate assumptions, which are unique to measuring the obligation and cost for postretirement and postemployment health benefits." (Towers Watson)  

Speakers Tell ERISA Advisory Council More Guidance Needed from DOL to Boost Savers' Lifetime Income Option (PDF)
"Norman P. Stein, a law professor at Drexel University School of Law, speaking on behalf of the Pension Rights Center, told the [ERISA Advisory Council] that the Department of Labor could 'issue guidance on steps employers can take to educate employees on how to evaluate plan distribution options without creating potential fiduciary liability on the part of the employer.' The DOL also could consider creating 'model documents for employers to provide employees to guide them in making decisions about plan distribution options,' or working with outside professional groups to create model documents[.]" (Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Reporter, via Pension Rights Center)  

2013 Annual Survey of Public Pensions: State-Administered Defined Benefit Data (PDF)
"Statistics are shown at the national level and for individual states. The total cash and investment holdings of the nation's state-administered defined benefit pensions systems totaled $2.7 trillion in 2013. By comparison, total cash and investment holdings totaled $2.5 trillion in 2012, yielding a 7.8 percent increase from 2012 to 2013." [Also available are: the Complete Data File, detailed information for each system in the Individual Unit File, and the Unit ID file, which includes the name of each pension system.] (U.S. Census Bureau)  

[Opinion]

Text of Amicus Brief by American Benefits Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 'Reverse Stock Drop' Case (PDF)
"The Court should grant rehearing en banc for two reasons. First, the view taken by the panel majority represents a radical reinterpretation of ERISA forty years after the fact, with no intervening change in circumstances and no public rulemaking. Second, the view taken by the panel majority, in addition to being unworkable, will discourage individuals from serving as fiduciaries and dramatically raise the costs of those who do, thus diverting money away from providing benefits to participants." [Tatum v. RJR Pension Investment Committee, No. 13-1360 (4th Cir., Aug. 4, 2014; amicus brief filed Aug. 25, 2014)] (American Benefits Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce)  

[Guidance Overview]

Text of Treasury Department Priority Guidance Plan, 2014-2015 (PDF)
Starting on page 4 are 42 items relating to Retirement Benefits, followed by 23 items for Executive Compensation, Health Care and Other Benefits, and Employment Taxes. (Internal Revenue Service [IRS])  

[Guidance Overview]

Text of Treasury Department Priority Guidance Plan, 2013-2014 4th Quarter Update (PDF)
Starting on page 4 are 45 items relating to Retirement Benefits, followed by 31 items for Executive Compensation, Health Care and Other Benefits, and Employment Taxes. (Internal Revenue Service [IRS])  

Insurers Pay More Tax on Executive Compensation Under Obamacare
"When Washington eliminated corporate tax deductions on health insurance executive compensation above $500,000 under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law in 2013, it generated more than $72 million in additional tax revenue for the U.S. government ... The report said that if all corporations were to be taxed this way, it would raise $50 billion more in revenue for the U.S. government." (Reuters)  

Using Adjusted Financial Data in Incentive Plans (PDF)
"The only time these adjustments should be controversial or inappropriate would be if goals were set using one definition and results were measured using another (to the executive's benefit). Generally, however, adjusted definitions are approved by compensation committees at the beginning of the performance period. Goals are set and performance is measured based on this consistent definition and understanding. This article explores the reasons behind common adjustments and makes the case for their appropriate use." (Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC)  

HHS and CMS Announce New Members of the Management Team Ahead of 2015 Open Enrollment
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

View All Press Releases