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John Iekel

The IRS has made big changes to the Determination Letter (DL) program. It’s new, but is it improved? An Oct. 25 panel at the ASPPA Annual Conference held at National Harbor, Md. discussed this year's changes in the program. Richard Hochman, 2017 ASPPA President, was joined by 2012 Past President... READ MORE
Much-anticipated guidance on the DOL fiduciary rule will be coming soon, according to Phyllis Borzi, head of the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). She made the remarks Oct. 25 during the Government Update session at the ASPPA Annual Conference.Borzi was joined by PBGC Director... READ MORE
Mistakes are inevitable for anyone — retirement professionals included. But while it is predictable that people will make mistakes, how they will respond is not. If they’re wise, they’ll consider making an apology, argued Lauren Bloom of Elegant Solutions Consulting, LLC, in the Oct. 24 keynote... READ MORE
The last year featured some big bangs — and so will the year to come, for that matter. Not to mention other developments that concern the retirement plan industry and that will take some preparation and adjustment. And even thank-you’s. The popular Current Events Update at this year’s ASPPA Annual... READ MORE
The last year featured some big bangs — and so will the year to come, for that matter. Not to mention other developments that concern the retirement plan industry and that will take some preparation and adjustment. And even thank-you’s. The popular Current Events Update at this year’s ASPPA Annual... READ MORE
What’s the retirement plan industry’s biggest concern in the coming election? ASPPA Executive Director Brian Graff addressed the issue in the opening session of ASPPA’s 2016 Annual Conference at National Harbor, Md. “The biggest concern that we have has to do with tax reform,” said Graff, noting... READ MORE
In the third of a series of articles that features the insights of American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Resident Scholar Andrew Biggs in light of AEI’s recent paper, “Increasing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of the Nation’s Entitlement Programs,” Biggs shares his views on what can be done to... READ MORE
In the second of a series of articles that features the insights of American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Resident Scholar Andrew Biggs in light of AEI’s recent paper, “Increasing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of the Nation’s Entitlement Programs,” Biggs shares his views on how demographics... READ MORE
The way we approach entitlements — particularly Social Security — could be improved. There may be accord on that, but how to go about it is more of a cacophony. Such reform would have many ramifications — and retirement policy is one of the many shores that would be washed by the ripple of waves it... READ MORE
Suppose that every person in Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia all were covered by the same single insurance program. That’s how many people — approximately 10 million — are covered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) program... READ MORE
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Plan Consultant.“Physician, heal thyself.” That Biblical maxim can be applied in other contexts as well. How about, “Teacher, instruct thy peers”? One teacher in Baltimore is following that advice by teaching his colleagues about... READ MORE
A new private letter ruling (PLR) from the IRS says that the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules apply to a designated IRA beneficiary even though a state court modified the beneficiary designations. The IRS released PLR 201628006 on July 8.Note that PLRs are applicable only to the specific... READ MORE
Employer-provided retirement benefits in general are holding steady, according to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). In “2016 Employee Benefits: Looking Back at 20 Years of Employee Benefits Offerings in the U.S.,” SHRM reports that some aspects of employer-provided retirement... READ MORE
“Data security is a team sport.” That’s how FIS Chief Risk Officer Greg Montana summed up cybersecurity efforts at a June 20 session of the SPARK National Conference held in Washington, DC. The panel included not only experts from the private sector, but also Deputy Assistant Secretary for... READ MORE
Wellness is a hot topic, and that means not only physical, but also financial, health. Financial wellness is relevant to, and an aspect of, retirement readiness. A June 21 panel at the 2016 SPARK National Conference in Washington, DC included a discussion of financial wellness and what it means.... READ MORE
Less than a year till zero hour on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) fiduciary rule. And while it is imminent but not formally implemented just yet, it’s already having an effect — and panel discussions at the June 20-21 SPARK National Conference in Washington, DC offered insights into those effects... READ MORE
There are plenty of financial pressures on DC plans, providers and sponsors. Not to mention the importance clients place on fees when considering whether to drop an investment manager. In a June 20 session at the 2016 SPARK National Conference held in Washington, D.C., Tom Kmak, CEO of Fiduciary... READ MORE
The general elimination of periodic determination letters was “shortsighted,” the Employee Plans Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities says in its 2016 Report of Recommendations.In Announcement 2015-19, issued on July 21, 2015, the IRS outlined changes to the... READ MORE
The general elimination of periodic determination letters was “shortsighted,” the Employee Plans Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities says in its 2016 Report of Recommendations. In Announcement 2015-19, issued on July 21, 2015, the IRS outlined changes to the... READ MORE
Increasingly, a plan’s digital platform — both website and mobile — is becoming participants’ main point of contact with the plan, upping the ante on the quality and efficiency of the user experience. What can consumer research tell us about doing a better job of fulfilling users’ digital... READ MORE

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