John Iekel

ASPPA Connect will not be appearing on Monday, July 5, as our offices will be closed on that day in observance of Independence Day; however, it will be back to business as usual on Tuesday, July 6.  We all know the momentous thing that was happening in Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4,... READ MORE

Leaving a job is not all that unusual. But for some people, changing employers doesn’t necessarily mean severing all ties with the erstwhile office.  The Secure Retirement Institute reports that since 2019, 26% of investors who changed jobs kept the retirement funds—all of them—in the defined... READ MORE

The IRS on June 24 announced that it is extending for a year temporary relief from the physical presence requirement for participant elections that must be witnessed by a plan representative or a notary public. The relief comes in Notice 2021-40 and is in response to the continuing COVID-19... READ MORE

The Department of Labor (DOL) on June 23 announced that it is reopening the comment period for amendments to class exemptions from prohibited transaction rules set forth in ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. The proposed amendments, which were originally proposed in 2013, are relevant to certain... READ MORE

In a recent webinar, an industry expert offered some insights on cybersecurity in light of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) recent guidance on cybersecurity.   Speaker Mark Strosahl, Business Information Security Officer at Principal Financial, set the table by noting that Infosecurity Magazine has... READ MORE

The Pine Tree State is poised to become the latest state to offer a state-run retirement plan to provide coverage to those whose employers do not offer a plan.  The Maine House of Representatives and Senate both passed LD 1622, An Act To Promote Individual Retirement Savings through a Public-... READ MORE

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series about the guidance the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued on April 14 concerning cybersecurity. The first is here; the second is here; the third is here; the fourth is here.  The Department of Labor’s Employee... READ MORE

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is seeking the approval of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on two modifications of methods of collecting information.  Reportable Events The PBGC seeks OMB approval of modifications to two forms by which it is informed about reportable... READ MORE

CalSavers, the retirement plan the state of California provides for employees whose employers do not provide one, grew like gardens in many areas in April and May. The growth in some respects was a bit more robust than that in March. The CalSavers Retirement Savings Board reports that the number... READ MORE