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Employer Mandate Implementation: Do You Qualify for Transition Relief?
January 21, 2015 WEBCAST
(Hill, Chesson & Woody)

Nondiscrimination Testing in DC Plans – Beyond the Basics
February 4, 2015 WEBCAST
(Western Pension & Benefits Council)

SHOP Marketplace Series
February 17, 2015 WEBCAST
(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS])

Online Webinar: Fiduciary Education with the Department of Labor (DOL)
February 25, 2015 WEBCAST
(Western Pension & Benefits Council)

8th Annual Executive Summit on On-Site Employee Health Clinics
March 11, 2015 in GA
(World Congress)

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[Guidance Overview]

DOL Says No Need to Redo Annual Funding Notice for HATFA (PDF)
"Most plans using the MAP-21 segment rates to determine minimum funding requirements must provide information about the effect of MAP-21 / HATFA rates on plan liabilities and minimum contribution requirements. Under DOL's new guidance, plan administrators are not required to re-issue previously provided AFNs to reflect HATFA changes; indeed, notices already in production can go out without the changes up through February 13, 2015." (Buck Consultants at Xerox)  

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This must-attend event combines the best of ACOPA's Advanced Actuarial Conference and the LA Regional Conference, and will include hands-on learning about current regulatory, legislative, actuarial, and consulting topics from session leaders. CE's available.

PBGC Wants Reporting on Lump-Sum Pension Cash-Outs and Annuity Purchases
"The 2015 revised form and filing procedures would require 'after-the-fact' reporting of certain risk transfers through lump-sum windows and annuity purchases. The rationale provided by the PBGC is there is currently no available comprehensive, detailed and reliable source for information on risk transfers over a three-year period.... [T]he information requested by the new form applies to more than a single premium year, and ... reasonable estimates may be reported instead of exact counts. The instructions also include clarifying information regarding a new lump-sum window definition." (McGuireWoods LLP)  

GM Wins Pension Benefit Challenge; Split Sixth Circuit Finds No ERISA Plan
"A group of retired autoworkers lost their bid for additional pension benefits because the arrangement under which they sought benefits wasn't an ERISA plan ... Judge Eric L. Clay, writing for the two-judge majority, emphasized that the retirees claimed benefits only under the [Special Attrition Program (SAP)] and not under GM's larger pension plan. Because the SAP itself didn't provide retirement benefits and therefore didn't qualify as a plan governed by [ERISA], Clay found that the retirees' claims were properly dismissed." [Buchanan v. General Motors, LLC, No. 13-1664 (6th Cir. Jan. 7, 2015, unpublished)] (Bloomberg BNA)  

GAO Recommends New Destinations for Forced 401(k) Rollovers
"GAO ... recommended repealing a provision that lets plans disregard larger rollover amounts included in departed participants' accounts when identifying eligible balances of $5,000 or less for IRA transfers. As a result of this rule, accounts of significant size can end up in forced transfers when participants don't indicate what should be done with the money once they've left." (Thompson SmartHR Manager)  

The Perfect Withdrawal Amount: A Methodology for Creating Retirement Account Distribution Strategies
"[This] new way to develop withdrawal strategies from retirement portfolios ... provides for consistent assessment of any strategy proposed, and ... is more accurate, more manageable, and includes more relevant information than other procedures. It is derived analytically, instead of from empirical testing; and it iterates always in the same manner. It is based on a new measure ..., the Perfect Withdrawal Amount, for which [the authors] discuss how to construct a probability distribution and how to apply it sequentially." (E. Dante Suarez, Antonio Suarez, and D.T. Walz, via SSRN)  

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The Development of a Typical Pension Plan's Funded Status Since 2008 (PDF)
"The data ... go back to the start of 2008, a year in which most plans' funded status fell significantly. Since then, there has been some recovery, although it has been sporadic; 2009 and 2010 saw improvements, which were largely given back in 2011. The 'two steps forward, one step back' pattern repeated itself, as 2012 and 2013 were positive, but 2014 saw some of those gains surrendered. Other factors, beyond changes in interest rates and investment returns, also affect funded status, with the most significant being plan sponsor contributions and new benefit accruals. For most plans, the net impact of these factors has been a positive contribution to funded status over the past few years." (Russell Investments)  

How to Invest in New State-Sponsored Retirement Plans
"In launching the program, Illinois hopes to address one of the biggest problems affecting those saving for retirement.... Nearly seven in 10 (68%) households with no employer-sponsored retirement are at risk of not being able to maintain their standard of living in retirement ... By contrast, just 20% of households with a defined benefit plan through their current employer are at risk, while 53% with only a defined contribution plan are at risk." (USA TODAY)  

Retirement Plans for Young People: Know Your Choices
"The first choice to consider is an employer-sponsored cash-or-deferred plan (such as a 401(k) plan) where the employer matches some or all of the employee's contribution.... The next best retirement plan for younger people is undoubtedly the Roth IRA.... The worst type of plan for the young person is the traditional IRA." (Morningstar)  

2015 Expanded Reporting and Disclosure Requirements Calendar
42 pages. "The 2015 Expanded Reporting and Disclosure Requirements Calendar provides who, what, when and where reporting and disclosure information for single-employer pension and welfare plans under [ERISA]. Plan administrators can access concise instructions for filing reports with the Department of Labor, IRS and [PBGC], and for disclosing tax and benefit information to U.S. plan participants, beneficiaries and alternate payees." (Towers Watson)  

OneAmerica Hires New Regional Sales Director for Retirement Services
OneAmerica Financial Partners

Society of Actuaries Recognizes New Center of Actuarial Excellence in Santa Barbara
Society of Actuaries

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