Newsletter Articles

Upcoming Compliance Deadlines for Calendar-Year Plans

May 15Quarterly Benefit Statement - Deadline for participant-directed plans to supply participants with the quarterly benefit/disclosure statement, including a statement of plan fees and expenses charged to individual plan accounts during the first quarter of...

How Government Staffing Cuts Could Impact the Plan

Many different Federal agencies affect the operation of retirement plans. First, Congress enacts the laws that govern plans; then, various entities such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Labor (DOL), Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), and...

Planning Ahead for 2026 Catch-Up Contributions

Effective for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, catch-up contributions for certain participants in a 401(k), 403(b), or governmental 457(b) plan could be affected by proposed regulations by the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service. The...

Could Immediate Vesting be a Win-Win for Your Plan?

As a plan sponsor, you may be using vesting schedules to encourage employee retention, but new research from Vanguard reveals that this strategy may not be as effective as you think. In reality, vesting schedules do little to keep employees from leaving – and they...

Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

In our last issue, we discussed the benefits of communicating with plan participants. Now let’s talk about keeping in touch with us. Whether the concerns are small or large, a discussion with us can save you from making corrections later. Retirement plans have many...

Upcoming Compliance Deadlines for Calendar-Year Plans

February 28IRS Form 1099-R Copy A – Deadline to submit Form 1099-R Copy A to the IRS for participants and beneficiaries who received a distribution or a deemed distribution during the prior plan year. This deadline applies to scannable paper filings. For...

Which Bond is Best?

Retirement plans can be covered by three types of bonds: fidelity bonds, fiduciary bonds and cyber bonds. As a plan sponsor, you will be asked for the fidelity bond coverage amount during the year-end data collection process because the amount is reported on the...

Lost but Not Forgotten

On December 27, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) launched the Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database of terminated participants who still have a benefit in a qualified retirement plan and are at least age 65. While the database is now active and available for...

Keep on Talkin’

When it comes to your retirement plan, keeping your participants engaged is a must. Not only is providing participants with enrollment opportunities in a timely manner critical to keeping your plan in compliance, it is also an important step in their retirement...

Upcoming Compliance Deadlines for Calendar-Year Plans

December 1stParticipant Notices – Annual notices due for Safe Harbor elections (note that some plans are no longer required to distribute Safe Harbor notices), Qualified Default Investment Arrangement (QDIA), and Automatic Contribution Arrangements (EACA or...