Retirement Plans Newsletter

December 27, 2017

BenefitsLink.com logo EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com logo
Search   ·   Past Issues   ·   Get Message Boards Digest   ·   Get Health & Welfare News

Jobs

Pension Trust Admin Supervisor
Associated Pension Consultants
in CA

Defined Benefit Administrator
TPA firm
in AZ

Pension Administrator
Lebenson Actuarial Services, Inc.
in NY

►See 115 Jobs

►Post a Job


Webcasts, Conferences

Tax Reform Has Passed – What You Need to Know
January 18, 2018 in NY
Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - New York Chapter

Effective Global Benefits Management: Thinking Globally - Acting Locally
January 25, 2018 in OH
Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - Cleveland Chapter

403(b) Pre-Approved Plan Document Workshop: Part 1 [2018]
March 5, 2018 WEBCAST
FIS Relius Education

403(b) Pre-Approved Plan Document Workshop: Part 2 [2018]
March 6, 2018 WEBCAST
FIS Relius Education

403(b) Pre-Approved Plan Document Workshop: Part 3 [2018]
March 7, 2018 WEBCAST
FIS Relius Education

Resolving 5500 Filing Issues
July 10, 2018 WEBCAST
ASPPA [American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries]

►See 103 Upcoming Webcasts and Conferences

►See 1381 Recorded Webcasts


Discussions

New Topics on the BenefitsLink Message Boards

New Comments and Topics

All Topics, Grouped by Forum


This Newsletter:
Subscribe Now

BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter:
Subscribe Now

Message Boards Digest:
Subscribe Now


'Missing' 401(k) Participants Get Some Serious Help
"When implemented, the enhanced program will make it easier for people to locate their retirement benefits after their plan terminates. Because the expanded program is only open to plans that terminate on or after January 1, 2018, PBGC expects it will be several months before new missing participant names are added to the existing online directory."
401K Specialist

[Advert.]

Orlando APC - Feb. 7-9, 2018 -- Early Fee Ends Jan. 5

Sponsored by FIS Relius Education

Our ERISA experts will cover Washington update, 403(b) restatement, IRS disaster relief, QDROs, RMDs, EPCRS , final fiduciary regs, lost participants, Ask the Experts Q&A session, and more. 19 CE hours. Register by January 5, save $150. Register now.


Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Retirement
"[1] Borrowing against your 401(k) ... [2] Cosigning for your kids' student loans ... [3] Retiring too early."
Motley Fool

How Did 401(k) Assets Fare in Third Quarter?
"Americans held $7.7 trillion in all employer-based defined contribution retirement plans on September 30, of which $5.3 trillion was held in 401k plans. Total U.S. retirement assets were $27.2 trillion, up 2.3 percent from June 30. Retirement assets accounted for 35 percent of all household financial assets in the United States at the end of September 2017."
401K Specialist

401(k) Savers: Where the Stock Market Is Headed in 2018
"At the start of 2017 ... [t]he average gain predicted was 5.5% and the biggest bull saw stocks rising 12% ... If the average prediction had been right, a 401(k) investor with $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the start of 2017 would have gained $550. That's well shy of the market's actual return of nearly $2,000. Reviewing Wall Street pros' predictions for the year ahead, however, provides investors with an outline of factors that might move stock prices."
USA TODAY

IRAs, SEPs, SIMPLEs and Qualified Charitable Distributions
"Aside from the philanthropical aspect of making a [qualified charitable contribution (QCD)], a QCD is excludable from taxable income, plus it may count towards the individual's required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year, and may lower taxable income enough for the person to avoid paying additional Medicare premiums.... Where an individual has made nondeductible contributions to his or her traditional IRAs, a special rule treats amounts distributed to charities as coming first from taxable funds, instead of proportionately from taxable and nontaxable funds, as would be the case with regular distributions."
National Association of Plan Advisors [NAPA]

[Opinion]

Plan Sponsors to 401(k) Advisors: What Have You Done for Me Lately?
"The lack of thorough service by plan advisors of 401(k)s is not sitting well with plan sponsors.... [In] an annual Plan Sponsor Attitudes survey, 38% of sponsors are looking to switch advisors, up from 30% in 2016 and 9% in 2013. Advisor complacency, coupled with a need for more knowledgeable advisors, is prompting the switch."
Francesca Federico, via Forbes

[Opinion]

What Does the New Year Hold? Three Predictions for 2018
"[1] Increasing complexity for plan sponsors ... [The] move to more transparent and potentially less expensive investment options is exposing the underlying economics of plan recordkeeping and begging the questions of who is paying plan fees and how are they paying them.... [2] Benefits matter more ... [W]hile Millennials may have the most to gain by taking advantage of employer-offered financial advice and wellness programs, these programs cater to the needs of all three generations currently in the workforce.... [3] The return of market volatility ... We will need to reinforce the importance of diversification, the value of dollar cost averaging, and the benefits of staying in the market."
CAPTRUST Financial Advisors

Benefits in General

[Guidance Overview]

President Trump Signs Into Law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (PDF)
16 pages. "The changes reach far and wide and will impact every individual, nearly all domestic businesses regardless of the type of entity they operate through, many tax-exempt organizations and companies with international operations. Most of the changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2018 but a few provisions have earlier effective dates."
Polsinelli PC

Private Employer Costs for Pay and Benefits, September 2017
"Employer costs for employee compensation averaged $33.55 per hour worked for private industry workers in September 2017. Wages and salaries averaged $23.35 per hour worked and accounted for 69.6 percent of these costs. Benefits costs averaged $10.20 and accounted for the remaining 30.4 percent. Average costs for pay and benefits ranged from $42.20 per hour in the Middle Atlantic states to $25.99 in the East South Central states."
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS]

Selected Discussions
on the BenefitsLink Message Boards

VCP Filings Taking Forever!
Filed a very basic VCP on a SIMPLE-IRA plan in June 2017. Received an acknowledgement letter in mid-AUGUST 2017. Recently (December 2017) I called (twice) to check on the status. Got a voice mail saying it has NOT YET BEEN ASSIGNED TO A REVIEWER. Prepare yourself to hurry up and wait.
BenefitsLink Message Boards

Loan Offset: When in the Form 1099-R Reported?
Typically upon a distributable event (in this case, termination of employment), an outstanding loan becomes immediately due and payable within a certain period of time (60-90 days, based on loan procedures and the promissory note). Failure to repay in full within this time period results in a loan offset with 1099-R reporting. The question is, in what year is the 1099-R reported?
BenefitsLink Message Boards

50% Partner in LLC Can Have Separate Retirement Plan for Separate Business (Sole Proprietorship)?
Accountant is 50% partner in an LLC. A client of the LLC hires the accountant personally (separately from the LLC's work) to oversee work related to possible sale of the company. Client pays the accountant separately for this work. Can the accountant have a pension plan separately from the partnership based on this revenue?
BenefitsLink Message Boards

Follow ALL New Discussions:
► Subscribe (free) to the new, daily BenefitsLink Message Boards Digest (which contains ALL new discussions, not just the selected discussions shown above).
► See a sample issue.

Connect   LinkedIn logo   Twitter logo   Facebook logo

BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park, Florida 32789
(407) 644-4146

Lois Baker, J.D., President
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
Holly Horton, Business Manager

BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9587. Copyright 2017 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All materials contained in this newsletter are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of third party materials, the owner of those materials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notices from copies of the content.

Links to web sites other than BenefitsLink.com and EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com are offered as a service to our readers; we were not involved in their production and are not responsible for their content.

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy