When Ignorance Isn’t Bliss!

February 7, 2019—Plan sponsors: Do you know whether your organization’s 401(k) is as good as it could be?

Does it include the best possible funds, and are your employees offered professional investment management to help them meet their retirement goals?
Is your plan designed with the features that make 401(k) plans most valuable both to employees and organizations?
Have you taken advantage of ERISA safe harbors to reduce your fiduciary risk?
Is your plan easy to administer and do you understand ERISA’s regulations?
Are you aware all plan fees and know they are reasonable?

2018 isn’t over until the data’s scrubbed!

Retirement sponsors know it: while others are ringing in the new year, January is a time for 401(k) plan administrators to assemble, scrutinize and validate prior-year data for plans with a December 31 year-end date. Diligent information scrubbing is important. “Clean” data will result in accurate testing and tax filing. A lack of attention to detail can result in tax-filing errors, the need for voluntary corrections, regulatory audits, and – worst-case – plan repayments, fines and penalties.

Getting Noticed . . . A Guide to Enrollment Notices for New 401(k) Participants

December 6, 2018 - There are good times and bad times to be noticed. Most 401(k) plan sponsors don’t want to be noticed (and then investigated) by the U.S. Department of Labor.But employers need to provide notices to employees as they become eligible to join a 401(k) plan . . . or face potential employee complaints and DOL investigation.

Have You Noticed? A Guide to Year-End (and other) 401(k) Disclosures

November 1, 2018 — It’s an important time of year for most 401(k) plan sponsors: the time to give notice . . . to participants . . . as required by the U.S. Department of Labor. When I say “most,” I’m talking about the sponsors of plans with a December 31 year-end. (For other sponsors, file this blog and revisit it two months prior to your plan’s year-end.)

Employers Win with Retire-ability Part of the Company Mission/Message!

October 4, 2018 - Are you getting all you can out of your company’s 401(k) plan?

Investing Properly . . . Another Step Toward Retire-ability

It’s attainable – employers can reduce the financial stress of employees and help them reach retire-ability – to the benefit of employees and to enhance the profitability and productivity of the companies they work for.

Get Smart . . . To Achieve Retire-ability

August 13, 2018—We’ve been talking about the way a 401(k) plan can be a great benefit for employers. By building employees’ financial confidence and increasing their ability to retire on time, organizations reduce the workplace distractions that result when employees are financially stressed. They also decrease the future potential for the higher salary and benefits costs that occur when employees work past retirement.

Continuing the Conversation: Company Benefits when 401(k) Plan Includes Financial Education

July 5, 2018—Have you started the conversation at your company to determine how to get the biggest organization benefit from your company's 401(k) plan?

In last month’s Starting the Conversation blog I shared some facts to get company leadership talking. There’s a heavy organization cost when employees can’t retire at normal retirement age and an even greater burden when employees lack the solid financial foundation that allows them to build toward retirement.

Starting the Conversation: Linking Retire-ability and Organization Viability

June 7, 2018—Previously, I suggested that the ability of employees to retire at a normal retirement age is a benefit of as much significance to the organization for which they work as it is to them individually. Increasingly, employers recognize that it’s in their company’s best interest to do what they can to help their employees establish a firm financial footing and build toward retirement readiness.