For many years, plan sponsors have wrestled with the decision to offer loans to their plan participants. Some consider them to be a benefit and even promote them as a legal way to use tax free money while participating in the plan. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 87% of plan participants can take a loan against their retirement account. Of those employees with access to take a loan, about one-fifth borrow against the retirement account. Come retirement, what are the eff...

How much of your life happens online—75 percent? 90? With cell phones in our pockets and tablets next to our beds, we’re all leading electronic lives, with the expectation that when we want or need information, we’ll find it almost immediately. And retirement plan information is no different.

Every plan sponsor has a fiduciary responsibility to account for all funds in a retirement plan—including uncashed distribution checks. Do you know what your responsibilities are when a check goes uncashed or a plan participant falls off the grid? Is there a point at which you are no longer liable? This month’s newsletter answers those questions for you. And it offers guidelines and best practices you can follow to ensure your plan remains in compliance, you meet your fiduciary obligations,...

Although it's certainly true that not enough Americans are saving for retirement, it's also true that the many millions who are saving do so through an employer-sponsored defined contribution 401(k) plan. And as you may well know, 401(k) plans tend to generate a considerable amount of financial activity. The mobility of today's workforce means employees often request distributions when they move from one employer to another. Rollovers are common, too, as are hardship withdrawals.