Articles
Understanding how forfeitures work in retirement plans
When we talk about 401k type retirement plans we sometimes focus on the contributions made by employees that are ALWAYS immediately vested. In other words, it's THEIR money and they can always withdraw it without forfeiting ANY- subject to IRS rules about early...
3(16) Fiduciary Services and Why You Should Care
As a financial advisor, you know that the people who exercise control and authority over the management of a retirement plan’s assets are fiduciaries. So are professionals who provide investment advice with respect to those assets. In most cases, plan sponsors...
It’s All About Relationships
There are many industry stats about 401k “sales.” Perhaps you have your own. It’s natural to talk in terms of lead generation and sales funnels and qualifying questions and, of course, closing. But, when you get down to it, it’s not really so much about generating...
Help Clients Understand Why a QDIA Matters
Auto-enrollment has been proven to be effective in raising participation rates in 401(k) plans. As a result, it's been pretty widely adopted across the country, especially in mid- to larger plans. Automatic enrollment creates a situation where many employees fail to...
The Loan They Never Take May Make All the Difference
IRS rules provide for participant loans and hardship withdrawals from 401k and other plans. They're not required, but rather left to the discretion of the plan sponsor. Today, there's a good bit of debate about how participant loans affect long term retirement...
Houston, We Have a Problem…
Times can get tough for people. With the onset of Hurricane Harvey having decimated parts of the Gulf Coast and Hurricane Irma following its destructive lead, we are reminded that at any point we may find ourselves in hardship. Companies make layoffs, natural disasters occur, emergencies… well, emerge. With nowhere else to turn, some will look to their 401k for their own disaster relief. A withdrawal in the form of a “hardship distribution” is one of the tools that…
Fiduciary Rule Round Up
There has been much upheaval in the retirement world as of late and it centers around the new fiduciary rule. The New Fiduciary Rule means that many investment professionals that weren’t previously considered fiduciaries will now have to take on that role. So, why is that such a bad thing? Well, it’s not per se, but the implications of how this may change the way the investors and their companies function may leave them frustrated and tentative towards some future business. But before we get…
Of Course Your Clients Are Fiduciaries
When it comes to the topic of fiduciary responsibilities for qualified retirement plans, there are three things we know really well: Plan Sponsors are, by definition, a fiduciary of their own plan as they exercise control and act on behalf of the plan. Some number of...
When to Set Sail With Safe Harbor
You already know that a 401(k) is a very popular retirement plan and, like other plan designs, it allows employees to take advantage of tax deferrals on contributions and earnings while their money accumulates for retirement. To enjoy this special status, the IRS put...
Defined Benefit Plans Are Alive and Well
For the most part, the news about Defined Benefit plans lately has not been particularly good. Whether a big company could no longer fund its plan or how it was bankrupting their business, headlines have discouraged many businesses from seriously considering a DB...
Retirement Plan Maintenance
Whether it’s your car, your air conditioning or your own health, virtually everything you depend on in life needs a periodic assessment. What’s working, what needs repair? A company’s retirement plan is no different. And the evaluation is no less complex than the one your primary care physician might use.This month’s newsletter is designed to introduce you to the elements that make up a well-functioning retirement plan. And as you’ll discover…
Rise of the Machines
Over the last 30 years, there’s been an incredible array of advancements in technology that have impacted various parts of our lives. While not all of them were amazing, many of them inherently improved our quality of life and some allowed us to catapult forward into a world of instantly accessible information on a scale never witnessed. As computer science has seeped into almost every facet of life, there’s been an increase in connectivity, productivity, and efficiency. The world of…