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The watchword of the day is patience. And detailed preparation. Speaking to a packed room at a June 23 general session of the NTSA 403(b) Summit in Washington, D.C., Kristi Cook, head of an eponymous law firm, and Ellie Lowder, of TSA Consulting, outlined the challenges facing the 403(b) industry...
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Find your passion, advised Kent Schutte, president of EFS Advisors, and build your business around it. Schutte’s breakout session, “Becoming the Go-To Advisor,” was a Day 2 highlight of the 2014 NTSA 403(b) Summit in Washington. “Our company’s passion is educators,” said Schutte. “They’re...
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“High tech and high touch” characterizes the approach of Generations X and Y’ to financial planning and advice. Greenwald & Associates Research Director Lisa Schneider delivered that message to attendees at the NTSA 403(b) Summit on June 23. While younger workers are tech-savvy, they also want...
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Asset International, the company that owns PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER, was acquired June 20 by Genstar Capital, a leading middle market private equity firm that focuses on investments in targeted segments of the financial services, software, healthcare, and industrial technology industries....
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A measure that would reform the pension system serving the Keystone State’s public-sector employees is coming closer to a vote. HB 1353, introduced by Rep. Mike Tobash (R-Schuylkill/Berks), would offer a new hybrid plan to new employees and seeks to reduce the burden the system places on...
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In spring 2013, a nationwide wave of class action lawsuits were filed against five large hospital systems claiming affiliation with the Catholic Church. The claims were all the same: The defined benefit pension plans sponsored by the hospitals were not eligible for the church plan exemption under...
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If the holder of a Roth 403(b) is over age 59½ and has held his account for more than five years, is the plan administrator required to withhold 20 percent for federal income tax since the distribution is eligible to be rolled over? In Tech Talk, Ellie Lowder says yea or nay.
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Funds held in inherited IRAs are not retirement funds and must be included in a bankruptcy estate, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 12. The Court’s 9-0 ruling in Clark v. Rameker, No. 13-299 (U.S. 6/12/14), aff’d 714 F.3d 559 (7th Cir. 2013)) was definitive in drawing a distinction between...
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The Millennial generation views benefits, especially retirement plans, very differently than older generations do — a trend that will reshape key aspects of the relationships among participants, plan sponsors and advisors. In a fascinating article in the latest issue of Benefits Quarterly magazine...
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Many sobering reports have been issued regarding the degree to which U.S. workers are preparing — or not — for retirement. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Personal Savings Initiative (PSI) may not be the first effort that seeks to help turn the tide of poor savings rates, but it has heft and...
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If a client is age 72, and has worked for three years for an employer that offers a 457(b) plan, what are the rules regarding when he can retire with an unreduced benefit? In Tech Talk, Ellie Lowder explains what he needs to do and whether any catch-up contributions are possible.
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How can a plan participant determine how much can safely be withdrawn from an account after retirement? What is your clients’ risk tolerance? Find out at the 2014 NTSA 403(b) Summit, to be held in Washington, D.C., June 22–24. Michael Kitces, a financial planner, commentator, speaker and...
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The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in U.S. v. Windsor — in which it said that retirement plans must treat a same-sex spouse just they would any other spouse for purposes of benefits under the retirement plan — one year ago, on June 26, 2013. That makes this an opportune time for Ellie...
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The federal government and U.S. workers agree that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — a.k.a. Obamacare — will affect the timing of retirements. However, IFAwebnews reports that there’s a wide gap between what the government and many workers expect that effect to be, according to a survey conducted...
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Simplified investment platforms are becoming more common for 403(b) plans, and target date funds are among the most widespread investment options, according to the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s sixth annual 403(b) plan survey. The Principal Financial Group sponsored the study. Aaron Friedman...
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Have you ever been elbow-to-elbow with the energy and free-flowing successful solutions of the very best in our industry? For the first time ever, yes, you can be! NTSA brings you the inaugural NTSA Elite Advisors Awards on Sunday, June 22, 2014 at 2:15 p.m., right after the lively “State of the...
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State pensions have been in the news a lot lately, and not always in a good way. The ways in which states meet the challenges of providing pensions for their employees are as numerous and varied as the states themselves. In the latest MarketBeat, Michael A. Webb takes a state-by-state look at what...
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If a teacher remains employed within the state, but by a different school district, could the teacher be considered to be still employed by the same employer? Ellie Lowder has the answer in this week’s Tech Talk.
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More often than not, employees who obtain investment advice do not follow it. And that’s among those who bother to seek it in the first place. The Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey suggests that advisors have some work to do in boosting plan participants’...
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While assets in IRAs are larger than those in DC plans, the vast majority of their growth comes from rollovers, according to research from EBRI. The EBRI database covers $2.09 trillion of the ICI-estimated $5.6 trillion in IRAs as of the end of 2012 and includes 25.3 million accounts for 19.9...
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