John Iekel

It’s no secret that defined contribution plans have been gaining ground at the expense of defined benefit plans. And there certainly is no dearth of explanations for that trend. A recent blog entry discusses some of the challenges that are causing employers and plan sponsors to think longer and... READ MORE

The IRS on Dec. 5 issued Notice 2017-72, which contains the 2017 remedial amendment (RA) list for individually designed qualified retirement plans. The list identifies certain changes in qualification requirements that became effective in 2017 that may require a retirement plan to be amended in... READ MORE

Ritual marks the onset of a new year — but it’s not just about revelry and pageantry. It’s also about making sure plan-related duties that are on a calendar-year timeline are fulfilled in time.  In a recent blog post, the Snell & Wilmer law firm provides a reminder of what needs to be done... READ MORE

A stolen identity, a few clicks, and there it is — a handsome retirement plan balance, ripe for the picking. If only someone had done something to prevent it all. A recent blog entry offers some ideas on how to do that, as does the IRS. In “Protecting Retirement Plans from Identity Theft,” a recent... READ MORE

“I’m focused on making sure the guarantee works,” Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Director Thomas Reeder told a congressional panel Nov. 29. He made his remarks at a hearing of the House Education and Commerce Committee’s Subcommitee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions chaired by... READ MORE

The safety net the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) provides through its pension plan insurance programs covered more plans and participants in federal fiscal year (FY) 2017, the agency reports.The PBGC reports that in FY 2017 it: paid $5.7 billion in benefits to nearly 840,000 single-... READ MORE

Conventional wisdom is that leaving employment and drawing from retirement savings could be a recipe to eventual and inevitable penury. But a recent study begs to differ.In “Spending in Retirement…or Not?” BlackRock Retirement Institute and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) challenge... READ MORE

Quick! What are the beneficiary options under the regulations concerning required minimum distributions (RMDs) that were issued on April 17, 2002? A recent blog entry discusses these options and the importance of the distinctions.In “Working with the Beneficiary Options In the 2002 RMD Regulations... READ MORE

Language purists generally are at best skeptical about the notion that words and grammar are fluid. But the retirement industry is rife with words and terms whose meaning is expanding or shifting, including terms related to DB plans, at least according to Willis Towers Watson.In “Defined Benefit... READ MORE