Skip to main content

You are here

Advertisement

News Archive

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) on Oct. 13 issued the premium rates for 2024.  2024 Premium Rates  The PBGC determined the premium rates applicable for 2024 plan years in accordance with the indexing rules provided in Section 4006 of ERISA, as amended by The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022... READ MORE
An explanation and history of fiduciary liability insurance were among the topics addressed at the recent ERISA 403(b) Conference in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion “Fiduciary Liability Insurance” featured Euclid Fiduciary’s Daniel Aronowitz, Sompo International’s Joe Kelly, and Marsh... READ MORE
The newest digital edition of ASPPA’s members-only magazine has been posted online! SECURE 2.0, enacted as 2022 ground to a close, imposes requirements but also affords opportunity. In this issue’s cover story, Robert Richter and Fred Reish discuss the provisions of SECURE 2.0 that address Roths.... READ MORE
Having a formal retirement plan can be an asset in a variety of ways, but its value is underappreciated, says a recent study.  A strong majority of retirement investors with an informal retirement plan, and an even bigger majority of those with a formal written retirement plan, express confidence... READ MORE
The parties in a suit that claimed a $7.3 billion plan “stocked the Plan’s investment menu with their own proprietary index funds”—while “participants got the short end of the stick” have come to terms. As it turns out, the plaintiffs in this case (are Rita Kohari, John Radolec and Mohani Jaikaran... READ MORE
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced Oct. 12 that the monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase 3.2% in 2024. The change will affect more than 71 million Americans and translates to an increase in Social Security benefits of more than $50... READ MORE
Summer—also known as the third quarter—brought some sunshine for private-sector pension plans in 2023.  Funded Status  By three measures, private-sector defied benefit plans gained ground in their funded status in the third quarter. Two gauges report slight drops; however, those decreases were... READ MORE
Service providers take care of the nuts and bolts and fine details of running a retirement plan. So what are plan sponsors  looking for in a third party administrator? A recent blog entry offers a look. In “10 Things to Look for in Retirement Plan Administration,” Kushner & Company suggests... READ MORE
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) on Oct. 5 sent a letter to Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Assistant Secretary Lisa Gomez  that raises concerns about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) potential regulations that could affect retirement plans... READ MORE
For the second time in a month, a law firm has brought suit challenging the use of forfeitures in a 401(k) plan. The lawyers are from Hayes Pawlenko LLP, a South Pasadena, CA-based duo (who met in law school, according to their website) positioning themselves as an employment litigation firm “... READ MORE
Improvements in retirement-plan design have put more workers in a better position to meet their retirement goals, yet for Americans who lack access to a plan, the outlook remains challenging. That was one of the key takeaways from Vanguard’s inaugural Retirement Outlook report, which evaluates... READ MORE
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series about service providers’ audits of clients and their plans.  That’s what a first financial audit can feel like, says an industry expert. But it doesn’t have to. “Death by a thousand cuts. That’s what initial 401(k) and 403(b) audit clients... READ MORE
Today’s workers’ expectation of when and how they will retire is a radical departure from how retirees actually retired.  That’s according to Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies’ (TCRS) survey report, Life in Retirement: Pre-Retiree Expectations and Retiree Realities.  In comparing the... READ MORE
There’s an oft-repeated line from that 1967 classic movie “Cool Hand Luke” about a “failure to communicate.”  Now, most of us aren’t trying to convey the consequences of violating prison rules, but there are messages where mere words sometimes fall short of their purpose. There are literal... READ MORE
Like trees whose green leaves are mixed with the first ones brushed by Autumn’s paintbox, the results for private-sector pension plans were mixed in September. By a variety of measures, September was a pushmi-pullyu for DB plans, according to several analyses. Liabilities down, funded status up,... READ MORE
The IRS has updated the content it provides through an issue snapshot on the deductibility of employer contributions to a 401(k) plan made after the end of the tax year. The refresh accounts for application of the SECURE 2.0 Act.  The Issue Snapshot discusses the timing rules of the Internal... READ MORE
Noting that "the settling parties agreed to the proposed settlement only after vigorous arm's-length negotiations between counsel experienced in ERISA class actions and under the auspices of … a third-party private mediator with extensive experience mediating ERISA actions”—the parties in yet... READ MORE
For the next 10 years, the Social Security trust funds will have a positive balance. But balance sheet solvency after that will be another matter, says the Congressional Research Service (CRS).  In its latest Social Security Primer, updated Oct. 2, 2023, the drumbeat the CRS hits is little... READ MORE
As if the stress from high inflation and the possibility of an economic downturn wasn’t already enough, add concerns about higher taxes on 401(k) plans and IRAs to the list of worries.  According to Allianz Life’s 2023 Q3 Quarterly Market Perceptions Study, Americans are increasingly worried about... READ MORE
In a move that would allow more individuals to save more for their health care expenses in retirement, the House Ways and Means Committee on Sept. 28 approved legislation to significantly expand the health savings account (HSA) contribution limits, as well as broaden the number of individuals... READ MORE

Pages