Practice Management

If a plan is drafted to exclude employees who normally work less than 10 hours per week, is such an employee no longer excluded from making elective deferrals if he completes 1,000 hours of service, or must the employer prorate the hours? In Tech Talk, Susan Diehl tells us. READ MORE

One of the advantages of qualified plans and IRAs is the portability with rollover contributions. But can a 403(b) be rolled into an inherited IRA? In MarketBeat, Kimberly Flett writes that understanding the portability rules — in particular regarding 403(b)s and IRAs — can prevent an unwelcome tax... READ MORE

The Trump administration’s rapid-fire executive orders and regulatory announcements and reviews could delay, gut or even kill the fiduciary rule. But a recent analysis suggests the genie may be out of the bottle. In MarketBeat, John Iekel discusses a recent analysis that suggests changes in the... READ MORE

Two weeks ago, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to a number of financial services firms asking where they stood on the fiduciary regulation. She’s now shared their responses with the Acting Secretary of Labor.Late last month Warren wrote to nearly three dozen financial services firms asking if... READ MORE

Suppose your client, who severed employment at age 56, has been told that that a 10% penalty tax will apply to withdrawals from his 403(b) account because he is not yet age 59½. Is this correct? In Tech Talk, Ellie Lowder tells us. READ MORE

There is now an “even greater opportunity” for tax reform, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at a Feb. 1 meeting at its Washington, DC headquarters. Hatch said he hopes there will be a tax reform proposal “in the near future” but spoke in broad... READ MORE

The Department of Labor released a much-anticipated second set of fiduciary regulation FAQs on Friday the 13th. In MarketBeat, Nevin Adams writes that they focus particularly on investment advice concerning ERISA-covered plans, IRAs and other plans covered by Code Section 4975(e)(1). READ MORE

An heir transfers her deceased uncle’s 403(b) account into her inherited IRA, and would like to roll her own 403(b) into the IRA. In Tech Talk, Ellie Lowder tells us whether she is permitted to do that. READ MORE

People often talk about the significance of the “free” money associated with the company match in retirement savings — but there’s another source of “free” money that is often overlooked.I’m talking about the so-called Saver’s Credit, more precisely the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit. It’s... READ MORE