Advertisement
News Archive
Low participation rates in 403(b) plans — in particular plans in the public education K-12 market segment — is generating concern among employers. Recent studies have not provided specifics of current participation rates in that sector, but individual employers are reporting that it is not uncommon...
READ MORE
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Aug. 11 announced securities fraud charges against the state of Kansas, claiming that the state failed to disclose that the state’s pension system was significantly underfunded, and the unfunded pension liability created a repayment risk for...
READ MORE
Gov. Chris Christie (R) seems to have read the tea leaves correctly in setting up a commission to make recommendations on how to reform New Jersey’s public pension system. And that’s not just regarding the needs of the system — it also appears to be prescient regarding the views of his...
READ MORE
It’s hurricane season, which brings handling emergencies into sharper relief. Under a 457(b) plan, a hardship distribution can only occur when the participant is faced with an unforeseeable emergency. An unforeseeable emergency is a severe financial hardship resulting from an illness or...
READ MORE
You provided an employee with a 15-year catch-up last year, but you find out that the employee was not eligible for it. Do you just distribute it as 1099 2014 income? Is it considered an excess deferral under Code Section 402(g)? In this week's Tech Talk, Ellie Lowder provides the answers and...
READ MORE
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently that an inherited IRA is part of a bankruptcy estate and subject to creditors’ claims. This raises questions: if that is the case with IRAs, does that then have implications for retirement plan assets belonging to those who declare bankruptcy? In this week's...
READ MORE
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Aug. 8 appointed nine members to a non-partisan commission to make recommendations regarding how to reform New Jersey’s public pension and health benefit systems. Never averse to taking bold action on a tough issue, Christie said in a press release that he...
READ MORE
Distinguishing who the fiduciary is within a 403(b) plan or other qualified plan is an important determination, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s an easy or clear determination. Quite the contrary: it is a highly confused, misinterpreted and somewhat gray area that many plan sponsors wish...
READ MORE
A school district decides to eliminate vendors and go to a single 403(b) plan provider. Can employees move the funds they have in the de-selected 403(b) plans to IRAs? Do the IRS regulations regarding this take into account that when an employer changes its pension plan, many times clients have the...
READ MORE
State and local pension plans’ investments showed robust growth for the 12-month period that ended June 30, Wilshire Associates reports. These plans’ investments showed median growth of almost 17%, the strongest growth since fiscal year 2011. The growth was fueled in large part by the...
READ MORE
NTSA has established the Task Force on Retirement Savings Plans, a new committee designed to help lead the discussion and development of policy regarding the automatic enrollment of employees in non-ERISA retirement savings plans. Among the functions the new task force will perform is to help...
READ MORE
NTSA has established the Task Force on Retirement Savings Plans, a new committee designed to help lead and guide the discussion and development of policy regarding the automatic enrollment of employees in non-ERISA retirement savings plans. Among the functions the new task force will perform is to...
READ MORE
Citing a need to ensure sustainability of public pensions, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Aug. 1 announced the formation of a commission that will include study of the state pension system and how to reform it. This is necessary, Christie said, to ensure that the system is sustainable....
READ MORE
NTSA has established the Task Force on Retirement Savings Plans, a new committee designed to help lead and guide the discussion and development of policy regarding the automatic enrollment of employees in non-ERISA retirement savings plans. Among the functions the new task force will perform is to...
READ MORE
If you receive a request for a loan from a participant who finished paying off a previous loan from his 403(b) four months ago, can you permit a $50,000 loan from the account since he has no outstanding loans in any plans of the employer? In Tech Talk, Ellie Lowder addresses what can be done in...
READ MORE
The SEC adopted new rules affecting the $2.6 trillion money market industry late in July. The purpose of the rules is to alert investors about the risk of investments that were thought to be guaranteed, and they impose floating net asset value like other mutual funds rather than a fixed $1 value....
READ MORE
Available through October 10, 2015 Moderator: Chris DeGrassi, Executive Director of NTSA Speakers: David Blask, Lincoln Investment Jerald Wozniak, CFP, Lincoln Investment Richard Dobson, CFP American Financial Management Bruce Smith, CALPRO Network...
READ MORE
Friday, October 10, 2014 12 p.m. - 12:50 p.m. ET Moderator: Chris DeGrassi, Executive Director of NTSA Speakers: David Blask, Lincoln Investment Jerald Wozniak, CFP, Lincoln Investment Richard Dobson, CFP American Financial Management Bruce Smith, CALPRO Network...
READ MORE
Available through September 10, 2015 Speakers: Ellie A. Lowder, TGPC, TSA Consulting and Training and Michael A. Webb, TGPC, AIF, CEBS, Cammack Retirement The webcast outline will be available soon! The pension problems of various states...
READ MORE
Recent Comments
Does the roth requirement for catch-up contributions for people who earned $145,000 apply to 457...
Hi Ed,
I really liked this article and I think you make a lot of sense. And I had no...
I believe there's a misstatement in that last quote - it should refer to governmental and...
Working with several medical providers as clients, I note that the high-end earners tend to push...
Congratulations to NTSAA for landing a good one. Nathan's breadth of experience and...