John Iekel

Filers of Forms 5500 and M-1 will now be able to prepare for 2014 filing. Advance copies of the 2014 Forms 5500 and 5500-SF are now available, the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration announced on Dec. 15. Changes to the Forms 5500 and 5500-SF for 2014 filing include:DOL Form M-1... READ MORE

New Year’s Eve is the deadline for most 2014 required minimum distributions to be made. The IRS issued that reminder Dec. 8 in news release IR-2014-112. Generally, RMDs from 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans as well as IRAs must be made by Dec. 31.An IRA trustee must either report the amount of the RMD... READ MORE

June 30, 2015 is the new deadline for submitting on-cycle applications for opinion and advisory letters for pre-approved defined benefit plans for the plans’ second six-year remedial amendment cycle. The IRS said so in IRS Announcement 2014-41, which it issued on Dec. 5. The announcement also... READ MORE

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) on Nov. 24 issued a final rule that makes it easier for defined contribution plan participants to move their funds into defined benefit plans. The PBGC intends the new rule to better facilitate lifetime income. This rule provides guidance on treatment... READ MORE

The Department of Labor has announced that on Jan. 15, 2015 it will hold a hearing on whether Credit Suisse affiliates can serve as qualified professional asset managers (QPAMs). The DOL is considering this matter in light of Credit Suisse’s Sept. 3, 2014 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to... READ MORE

As industry consolidation continues apace, the universe of 401(k) plan providers for employers is shrinking. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that competition among the providers is correspondingly reduced. Workforce Online reports that the remaining providers are offering more services as a... READ MORE

Having regained their Senate majority and deepened their hold on the House, the GOP — with a wary eye on the 2016 elections — may be ready to deal.In a recent webcast, ASPPA Executive Director Brian Graff and Political Director Jim Dornan discussed the shifts in power in the Nation’s Capital and... READ MORE

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a recent report has highlighted one of the ways public- and private-sector deferred benefit plans differ — valuation. “Pension Plan Valuation: Views on Using Multiple Measures to Offer a More Complete Financial Picture” outlines and discusses these... READ MORE

A treadmill goes on and on, and it can be a lot of work. Some aspects of benefits regulation may seem like one, and participant and plan sponsor disclosures are among them. And it’s not just fiduciaries, plan sponsors and administrators who are running on it — government regulators are, too. ASPPA... READ MORE