Newsletter Articles

Spring will arrive soon, promising new growth and a fresh beginning. It could also be the perfect time to do some spring cleaning for your plan. Let’s look at some areas that you might consider reviewing to ensure your retirement plan is operating efficiently.

Document your processes and procedures to make certain that plan tasks can be handled in case of any absences during an enrollment or pay period. Having a backup in place can prevent errors and delays that could lead to penalties.

Cybersecurity has become a necessary consideration in many aspects of life, and your retirement plan is no exception. For plan sponsors, understanding your responsibilities—as well as those of the third party administrators (TPAs) and recordkeepers that you work...

An employer-sponsored retirement plan is an extremely valuable benefit a company can offer its employees. At the heart of this benefit is the plan document—the official rulebook that explains exactly how the plan works. For plan sponsors, understanding this document isn’t just helpful; it’s essential.

As a plan sponsor, it’s critical to understand the rules surrounding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) because they directly impact compliance, participant education and operational processes. RMDs are mandatory withdrawals from qualified retirement accounts, and failure to handle them correctly can lead to penalties for participants and fiduciary risks for your plan.

IRS Form 1099-R Copy A – Deadline to submit Form 1099-R Copy A to the IRS for participants and beneficiaries who received a distribution or a deemed distribution during the prior plan year. This deadline applies to scannable paper filings. For electronic filings, the due date is March 31, 2026.

As situations arise during the plan year, it’s always better to double check the plan provisions rather than address a plan failure after the fact. In some situations, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, but that isn’t true in retirement plans....

As time goes by, the needs of a company and the needs of the participants evolve, and a plan may need to be amended to keep up with those changes. This is a good time of year to review plan provisions and determine if any changes are needed before the next plan year....

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) requires coverage to protect the plan from losses due to fraud and dishonesty. There are three main types of bond coverage for retirement plans: fidelity bonds, fiduciary liability insurance, and cyber liability...

Within 18 months: Effectiveness of notice provided for eligible rollover distributions: A 402(f) notice, often referred to as a Special Tax Notice, must be provided to the recipient of a distribution that is eligible for rollover. The notice must contain required...

When Plan Sponsors are asked to provide company and employee census information for a recent plan year, the details being collected affect the contributions that must be calculated and funded as well as which compliance tests the plan must satisfy. The same questions...