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Retirement Plans Newsletter
February 26, 2026
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💼 3 New Job Opportunities
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Why Plan Sponsors Need a Clear Uncashed Distribution Check Policy
"An effective uncashed check policy starts with a clear statement of intent, creating a compliant, standardized framework for addressing uncashed checks, and ensuring consistency with ERISA, IRS, and DOL requirements.... A strong policy includes a section defining clear
terminology so that all stakeholders -- plan administrators, recordkeepers, auditors, and fiduciaries -- are aligned.... [A third] section forms the core of the policy, outlining how the plan handles different uncashed check scenarios. " MORE >>
Retirement Clearinghouse
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[Sponsor]
ADP/ACP Failures? Fix Them Fast.
March 15 is unforgiving. ASC automatically identifies failed tests, calculates refunds, adjusts allocations, and produces correction reports -- batch processed, audit-ready. Eliminate refund stress.
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Nearly Half of Workers in Survey Unaware of Saver's Credit
"For 2025 taxes due in 2026, the Saver's Credit is limited to $1,000 for individuals or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly whose income is less than certain thresholds and who have contributed in the previous year to a ... qualifying retirement plan.... [T]he
average amount claimed by taxpayers of all filing statuses via the Saver's Credit in 2022 was $194." MORE >>
PLANADVISER
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Change Is Here: How to Integrate AI Into Your Retirement Advisory Practice
"Most advisors are using artificial intelligence (AI) to gain incremental efficiency by automating routine tasks, but the larger opportunity lies in redesigning workflows to enable proactive plan monitoring, true personalization at scale, and scalable expertise....
Differentiation is more likely to come from disciplined integration rather than speed, combining AI with human oversight, compliance guardrails, and validation protocols." MORE >>
T. Rowe Price
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Modernizing the Nest Egg: The Past, Present, and Future of Crypto in 401(k) Plans
"For crypto specifically, attention hinges on the design of the upcoming fiduciary safe harbor. This regulatory ''checklist' is intended to immunize fiduciaries from liability for investment losses, provided specific standards are met. Its critical pillars are
expected to include qualified custody requirements, liquidity constraints and portfolio allocation caps. Even after the major regulatory hurdle is cleared, however, broad adoption will likely unfold more akin to a glacial shift over several years than like a speculative spark." MORE >>
CoinDesk
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[Opinion]
Funded Status: A Better Metric for Managing Spending Decisions in Retirement
"Mr. Kitces proposes that Monte Carlo modeling using probability of success scores should still be developed, but the success
scores should actually be withheld from clients and re-interpreted.... A much simpler and straightforward solution is to use an approach like the Actuarial Approach that compares household assets to spending liabilities." MORE >>
Ken Steiner, FSA Retired
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[Sponsor]
Turning Plan Document Review into Actionable Insights - Now Including DB Plans
PlanPort revolutionizes how advisors, recordkeepers, and TPAs use retirement plan documents across their business operations –- delivering efficiency, accuracy, review, and automation like never before. Now supporting 403(b), 457(b) and DB plans!
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Benefits in General |
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[Guidance Overview]
USPS Postmark Changes: for Plan Sponsors, Timing Is Everything!
"Plan sponsors should consider the following strategies to ensure timely mailings when using USPS: [1] Request a manual postmark:... [2] Mail early.... [3] Postage validation imprint (PVI).... [4] Proof of mailing." MORE >>
Spencer Fane
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Employee Benefits Jobs
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Selected New Discussions |
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LTPT Deferrals Included in Average Benefits Testing?
"A plan sponsor wants to cover his LTPT spouse and children so they can make deferrals. I realize they will not receive any employer contribution. This plan is cross-tested and provides the minimum gateway for other NHCEs (3% SH and 1.4% PS). The family members' deferral
rates will be a very high% of pay. I want to make sure their deferrals don't get included in the big average benefits test EBARs Otherwise they will cause that part of the test to fail and then cross-testing will become very challenging."
BenefitsLink® Message Boards
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Plan Termination After Sale of Company: When Can Distributions Be Made
"Company A has a 401k plan as does Company B Company A is sold to Company B. Company A employees are now Company B employees. No plan merger happening. Company A will terminate their 401k plan, but not for a few months. Can former Company A employees take distributions from
Company A 401k plan immediately since they are no longer Company A employees? Eventually they will with when the plan termination date is decided, but can they do so before then?"
BenefitsLink® Message Boards
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Press Releases |
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GoodRx Expands Into Employer Market with Launch of 'GoodRx Employer Direct'
GoodRx
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Employee Fiduciary Expands Leadership Team with Two Key Hires to Drive Growth and Strengthen Retirement Plan Services
Employee Fiduciary, LLC
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ICI Launches Strategic Collaboration With DCALTA on Private Assets in 401(k)s
ICI [Investment Company Institute]
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Invesco Expands Private Markets Access for Defined Contribution Market with Launch of Core Plus Real Estate Collective Investment Trust
Invesco
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Webinars, Podcasts and Conferences (Retirement Plans / Executive Compensation) |
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Mastering Plan Onboarding: Metrics, Automation, and Strategy
April 27, 2026 WEBINAR
ASPPA [American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries]
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Last Issue's Most Popular Items |
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DOL Proposes Rules for Required Annual Paper Statements for Retirement Plans
PLANSPONSOR; registration may be required
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2026 EBSA Enforcement Priorities: What Plan Sponsors Need to Know
HUB International
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Text of Instructions for IRS Form 5330: Return of Excise Taxes Related to Employee Benefit Plans (PDF)
Internal Revenue Service [IRS]
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Copyright 2026 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.
BenefitsLink® Retirement Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9587.
Links to web sites other than BenefitsLink.com and EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com are offered as a service to our readers. We are not involved in their production and are not responsible for their content.
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