Tag: benefits

Is the Daily Grind Hurting Your Employees?

Have you ever tried to run with a rock in your shoe? At first, you tell yourself you can keep going—it’s a small rock, after all, and you’re in the zone. Sooner or later, though, what was a small rock causing mild discomfort will cause real pain. You have no choice but to stop and […]

DOL

Are You Doing Enough to Find Missing Participants?

In part one of this article we explored the Department of Labor’s (DOL) guidance for locating missing participants in the event of a plan termination. Today we will look at what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable alternatives.

Make Sure You Take Sufficient Steps to Find Missing Participants

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s guidance for locating missing participants in the event of a plan termination has become more widely accepted for finding such participants in a variety of scenarios. But the guidance does not clearly state at what point the retirement plan fiduciary has met its obligation to track down missing participants […]

Using Real Market Returns for Interest Crediting Reduces Cash Balance Plans’ Volatility, Study Finds

A shift to using real market returns for interest crediting in defined benefit (DB) plans’ cash balance (CB) features is lessening volatility and making the supplementary retirement accounts more appealing to plan sponsors—especially because this type of formula is more responsive to changing market conditions, according to a recent study.

IRS

Missing Participants Errors Now Top DOL, IRS Audit Focus, Nudging Out Late Payroll Deposits, Winston & Strawn Says

Federal agency audits are never far from the minds of employer retirement plan sponsors and their third-party administrators (TPAs), but knowing which recurring errors and internal controls most interest the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) right now can be helpful in avoiding or preparing for such inquiries.

Defined benefit retirement plan

Almost a Third of Defined Benefit Plans Have 95% Funding, Making Buyouts, Risk Transfers ‘Feasible,’ Study Finds

Approximately 30% of U.S. defined benefit (DB) pension plans currently have a funded status of 95% or higher, making a full buyout or significant risk transfer transaction a “feasible option” for a growing number of plans since the start of the year, according to a recent analysis by RiskFirst, a financial technology company that works […]