Posts (83) November 4, 2019 Participant Corner: Three Tax Tips that Can Help as You Approach or Begin Retirement Retirement is a whole new phase of life. You’ll experience many new things, and you’ll leave others behind – but what you won’t avoid is taxes. If you’ve followed the advice of retirement plan consultants, you’re probably saving in tax-advantaged retirement accounts. These types of accounts defer taxes until withdrawal, and you’ll probably withdraw funds… Read More November 21, 2019 Saving vs Investing: How to Sort Through Conflicting Advice in a Changing Market The S&P 500 Index has climbed over the past year, but the market returns have been marked by frequent volatility. High tech and banking stocks have done well, while energy and communication had less impressive performances. Returns on some retirement savings plans have declined as well. Long-term projections have flattened out in less than a… Read More October 7, 2015 Making Cents of Online Investment Services — Which is Best? SDM takes you through the options when it comes to online investment services, the pros and cons and how there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Read More March 3, 2021 Private Equity Investments in Defined Contribution (DC) Plans The Department of Labor recently released an “information letter” regarding the potential inclusion of private equity investments in DC plans. Read More August 10, 2020 Financial Reporting for Nonprofits That Have Teamed Up Not-for-profits sometimes team up with other entities to boost efficiency, save money and better serve both organizations’ constituencies. This can be a smart move — so long as your accounting staff knows how to report the activities of the two organizations. How you handle reporting depends on the nature of your new relationship. Collaborative arrangements… Read More August 4, 2020 Allowable Plan Expenses: Can the Plan Pay? The payment of expenses by an ERISA plan (401(k), defined benefit plan, money purchase plan, etc.) out of plan assets is subject to ERISA’s fiduciary rules. The “exclusive benefit rule” requires a plan’s assets be used exclusively for providing benefits. ERISA also imposes upon fiduciaries the duty to defray reasonable expenses of plan administration. General… Read More October 27, 2023 ERISA: What Businesses Can Expect From a DOL Benefits Plan Audit Business owners: If your company offers a health plan or a retirement plan that must comply with ERISA, you could be audited by the U.S. Department of Labor. Here’s how the process generally works. Read More November 3, 2021 Your Board Can’t Do Its Job Without Information From You What do nonprofit board members need to make decisions? The right information. To ensure your board has what it requires, funnel the following financial and strategic material through your executive director. Read More June 11, 2021 What is the Status on Allowing 401(k) Match for Student Loan Payments? President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act. Are you eligible to receive direct payments under the new law that passed on March 11? Read More February 24, 2020 Tips for Preventing Uncashed Retirement Checks Managing uncashed retirement checks may be considered a nuisance by plan administrators. Nevertheless, the employer still has fiduciary responsibility when a former employee fails to cash their distribution. Search efforts to locate a missing plan participant consume time and money and may fail to locate the participant. Likewise, going through the process of turning over… Read More February 24, 2020 Simple Secrets for Retirement Success Retirement planning can often seem complicated and daunting. Really, though, most of the actions you need to take to work toward a confident retirement are very simple. Follow a Plan Successful investors have a plan and they stick to it. You have access to a qualified plan like a 401(k). With that comes access to… Read More June 23, 2020 Is it Time For a Plan Refresh? The duty to provide participants with sufficient information to make consistently informed retirement investment decisions is a basic fiduciary responsibility under ERISA Section 404(a). However, there could be some plan committees who feel their participants are not consistently making prudent decisions. According to a 2016 JP Morgan survey¹ nearly 75 percent of participants say they… Read More Load more Page 3 of 10«12345...10...»Last »
November 4, 2019 Participant Corner: Three Tax Tips that Can Help as You Approach or Begin Retirement Retirement is a whole new phase of life. You’ll experience many new things, and you’ll leave others behind – but what you won’t avoid is taxes. If you’ve followed the advice of retirement plan consultants, you’re probably saving in tax-advantaged retirement accounts. These types of accounts defer taxes until withdrawal, and you’ll probably withdraw funds… Read More
November 21, 2019 Saving vs Investing: How to Sort Through Conflicting Advice in a Changing Market The S&P 500 Index has climbed over the past year, but the market returns have been marked by frequent volatility. High tech and banking stocks have done well, while energy and communication had less impressive performances. Returns on some retirement savings plans have declined as well. Long-term projections have flattened out in less than a… Read More
October 7, 2015 Making Cents of Online Investment Services — Which is Best? SDM takes you through the options when it comes to online investment services, the pros and cons and how there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Read More
March 3, 2021 Private Equity Investments in Defined Contribution (DC) Plans The Department of Labor recently released an “information letter” regarding the potential inclusion of private equity investments in DC plans. Read More
August 10, 2020 Financial Reporting for Nonprofits That Have Teamed Up Not-for-profits sometimes team up with other entities to boost efficiency, save money and better serve both organizations’ constituencies. This can be a smart move — so long as your accounting staff knows how to report the activities of the two organizations. How you handle reporting depends on the nature of your new relationship. Collaborative arrangements… Read More
August 4, 2020 Allowable Plan Expenses: Can the Plan Pay? The payment of expenses by an ERISA plan (401(k), defined benefit plan, money purchase plan, etc.) out of plan assets is subject to ERISA’s fiduciary rules. The “exclusive benefit rule” requires a plan’s assets be used exclusively for providing benefits. ERISA also imposes upon fiduciaries the duty to defray reasonable expenses of plan administration. General… Read More
October 27, 2023 ERISA: What Businesses Can Expect From a DOL Benefits Plan Audit Business owners: If your company offers a health plan or a retirement plan that must comply with ERISA, you could be audited by the U.S. Department of Labor. Here’s how the process generally works. Read More
November 3, 2021 Your Board Can’t Do Its Job Without Information From You What do nonprofit board members need to make decisions? The right information. To ensure your board has what it requires, funnel the following financial and strategic material through your executive director. Read More
June 11, 2021 What is the Status on Allowing 401(k) Match for Student Loan Payments? President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act. Are you eligible to receive direct payments under the new law that passed on March 11? Read More
February 24, 2020 Tips for Preventing Uncashed Retirement Checks Managing uncashed retirement checks may be considered a nuisance by plan administrators. Nevertheless, the employer still has fiduciary responsibility when a former employee fails to cash their distribution. Search efforts to locate a missing plan participant consume time and money and may fail to locate the participant. Likewise, going through the process of turning over… Read More
February 24, 2020 Simple Secrets for Retirement Success Retirement planning can often seem complicated and daunting. Really, though, most of the actions you need to take to work toward a confident retirement are very simple. Follow a Plan Successful investors have a plan and they stick to it. You have access to a qualified plan like a 401(k). With that comes access to… Read More
June 23, 2020 Is it Time For a Plan Refresh? The duty to provide participants with sufficient information to make consistently informed retirement investment decisions is a basic fiduciary responsibility under ERISA Section 404(a). However, there could be some plan committees who feel their participants are not consistently making prudent decisions. According to a 2016 JP Morgan survey¹ nearly 75 percent of participants say they… Read More