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News Archive
Is IBM on to something?
Big Blue recently announced that they would end the company’s 401(k) match effective January 1, 2024, replacing it with a Retirement Benefit Account (RBA). It will replace the match with a fixed employer contribution of 5% of compensation plus a one-time 1% pay increase....
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Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) introduced a bill on Dec. 13 that would allow retirement savers to roll over their Roth IRA savings into a Roth workplace retirement plan such as a Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b), or Roth 457(b).
The bipartisan bill, which the American Retirement...
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More good news on (closing) the retirement plan coverage gap, specifically related to state auto-IRA mandates.
The American Retirement Association has long argued—and an increasing body of research confirms—that state-sponsored retirement plans close the coverage gap, not only by providing a...
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Electronic filing of the Form 5558, Application for Extension of Time to File Certain Employee Plan Returns, for form year 2023 may not be available starting Jan. 1, 2024 after all.
It appears that the Department of Labor (DOL) has communicated to third-party software developers that the...
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The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is concerned about the ability of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) to exercise oversight and protect the integrity of benefit plans, particularly concerning audits. The OIG for the U.S. Department of Labor...
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What did the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act’s passage in 2019 do for lifetime income in retirement plans, and what lessons can be learned from the success of pension risk transfer?
We...
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Delaware is joining the Partnership for a Dignified Retirement, an interstate consortium that helps states provide access to retirement plan coverage. The action brings Delaware’s program into formal cooperation with those of Colorado and Maine.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed the measure...
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In prepared testimony to the Department of Labor's (DOL) leadership and staff, American Retirement Association (ARA) CEO Brian Graff highlighted “the significant regulatory gap” regarding plan-level advice on Dec. 12.
Graff’s comments—made in support of the DOL’s latest attempt to modernize the...
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Proposed guidance implementing the SECURE 2.0 Act’s provision providing an exemption for certain automatic portability transactions has moved one step closer to being publicly released.
The Department of Labor on Dec. 5 submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review a...
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By many measures, CalSavers’ fortunes matched the warm colors of the foliage in Autumn 2023, although some results did not show progress.
CalSavers, as one of the longest-lived state-run programs that provides retirement plan coverage to private-sector employees whose employers do not have a plan...
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Private-sector pension plans are subject to the vagaries of the economy and the market—nonetheless, they are generally fully funded. In fact, some are a bit more than fully—and there could be a cloud that accompanies that silver lining.
Where We Are
Data from a variety of sources in November...
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Recently, I came across an announcement that IBM was making changes to its 401(k).
More specifically that, effective next year they were going to replace their matching contribution in their 401(k) with an employer contribution to a cash balance plan.[1] In the days that followed, the news was...
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The IRS on Dec. 8 announced that there will be no changes to the Required Amendments (RA) List for individually designed plans qualified under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Sections 401(a) and 403(b) for 2023. The IRS made the announcement in Notice 2023-79.
The RA List establishes the end of the...
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The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released the Fall 2023 Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) regulatory agenda, an update that enumerates proposed rules as well as those in final form.
Valuation Assumptions Rule
A highlight of the fall update is the movement of the rule on...
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A key theme that has emerged from Alight’s annual “hot topics” survey is that employers need more guidance on key provisions in the SECURE 2.0 Act before fully embracing them.
In looking at changes employers intend to make to their retirement and financial wellbeing plans in the coming year, the...
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American Retirement Association (ARA) CEO Brian Graff is scheduled to testify on the first day of a public hearing hosted by the Department of Labor (DOL) titled “Retirement Security Rule: Definition of an Investment Advice Fiduciary.”
Graff will follow opening remarks from Assistant Secretary...
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In a positive sign that lawmakers are committed to fixing several errors contained in the SECURE 2.0 Act, the House and Senate have just released a draft technical corrections bill, including changes to allow catch-up contributions and provide parity for Starter 401(k)s championed by the American...
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The IRS has issued 2024 versions of Form 1099-R and 5498, as well as their instructions. These forms are used to report information concerning contributions and distributions, including those involving IRAs.
The IRS issued the forms as drafts—they are informational and not to be used for filing...
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If you missed the live broadcast of the ASPPA Webcast, “Update on Long-Term Part-Time Employees - Insights from the Proposed Regulations,” it is still available! You can access it on demand through Dec. 1, 2024.
On Nov. 24, 2023, the Department of Treasury and IRS released a proposed regulation...
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If you’re confused—and overwhelmed—about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) latest proposed rule defining who is an investment advice fiduciary for purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), you’re not alone.
The Biden Administration officially unveiled the Retirement Security...
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