Category: Retirement Plan Sponsors

Managing uncashed retirement checks may be considered a nuisance by plan administrators. Nevertheless, the employer still has fiduciary responsibility when a former employee fails to cash their distribution. Search efforts to locate a missing plan participant consume time and money and may fail to locate the participant. Likewise, going through the process of turning over dormant accounts to the state can also consume time and resources. Decrease the burden of uncashed checks by: Discussing with terminating employees during the…

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A partial plan termination is presumed by the IRS to occur when 20 percent or more of a company’s employees are no longer eligible to participate in the plan in a determined span of time (typically one plan year, but it can be other spans of time based on facts and circumstances). Routine turnover during the year is generally not considered a partial plan termination. To determine whether your turnover rate is routine, consider the following factors: What was…

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It may be advantageous for a plan sponsor to consider adopting a traditional safe harbor design for their retirement plan. Adopting a safe harbor retirement plan design permits an employer to essentially avoid discrimination testing (the testing is deemed met). Remember, this testing limits highly compensated employees’ contributions based upon non-highly compensated employees’ contributions. By making a safe harbor contribution highly compensated employees can defer the maximum amount allowed by their plan and Internal Revenue Code limits, without receiving…

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Target date funds (TDFs) – which rebalance investments to become more conservative as a fixed date approaches – are a convenient way for plan participants to diversify their portfolios and reduce volatility and risk as they approach retirement, making them an increasingly popular choice. However not all TDFs are created equal, and selecting and monitoring them can pose unique challenges for plan sponsors and fiduciary advisors. TDFs were first introduced in 1994. A little over ten years ago, just…

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Your retirement plan is a valuable resource for your employees and serves as a vehicle to attract and retain top talent. Ensuring plan success is crucial. Examining plan analytics can help evaluate its success. Plan analytics you should explore: Median age, tenure and savings rates of plan participants These analytics can be helpful to determine which age groups are not strongly participating and may be encouraged to do so via on-site meetings, focused mailings and other communication and education….

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Many plan providers struggle with deciding how many investment options to offer in their retirement plans. While people generally like to have lots of options when making other decisions, having too many plan options can potentially lead to poor investment decisions by plan participants. In addition, increasing plan options can also increase plan costs, as well as the administration associated with the plan. Choice Overload In a study on retirement plan options, researchers concluded that it is possible to…

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Many organizations face the problem of increasing employee participation in their retirement plans. Participation is crucial to the success of the plan, and it improves employee retention and overall job satisfaction – but how can plan sponsors improve participation rates? Design Your plan needs to meet the needs of your employees and your company. Employee matching contributions, waiting periods for new employees, loan or hardship withdrawal options, investment options, and more should be structured to make it easy for…

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Many companies are outsourcing more and more activities, mainly because outsourcing can provide cost savings and increase productivity. Outsourcing allows companies to focus more on their core businesses, rather than spending time on areas outside their expertise. For retirement plan sponsors, outsourcing services makes sense for these reasons as well as others. Reduced Risks As a plan sponsor, you and your company are plan fiduciaries, and can be held legally responsible for the plan’s administration and performance. Many sponsors…

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Employees worried about their personal finances are less productive, more distracted and are easier targets for poachers. While none of that is a revelation, a recent nationwide survey showed just how pervasive financial insecurity is in the workforce and how large the losses and potential risks are for employers at every level. When asked what they feel stress about, 59% of respondents said personal finances were their number one concern. Other familiar stressors paled in comparison — “my job”…

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1.          Don’t Cash Out Retirement Plans When Changing Employment When you leave a job, the vested benefits in your retirement plan are an enticing source of money. It may be difficult to resist the urge to take that money as cash, particularly if retirement is many years away. If you do decide to cash out, understand that you will very likely be required to pay federal income taxes, state income taxes, and a 10 percent penalty if under age…

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