Defined Contribution Plans

Target date funds (TDFs) are growing and likely to comprise a larger percentage of 401(k) assets, says Paladin Registry, an independent educational resource for investors. Paladin cites statistics from Target Date Solutions that project that TDFs will grow by 30% per year for the next six years and... READ MORE

Nondiscrimination tests, sometimes described as the “rocket science” of the tax compliance world, can make an employer run afoul. And that’s exactly what happened to 57,277 of the 401(k) plans that Judy Diamond Associates reports in a study it recently released. The study says that the plans in... READ MORE

Critics of 401(k)s argue that they will not deliver on what they promised. But MSN Money reports that the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) has provided empirical evidence that their assessments may be very much off the mark. To illustrate, EBRI examines the way workers age 25-29 save for... READ MORE

Auto enrollment and escalation can be very useful in boosting plan participation and setting in motion all the good effects that result from that. But like medicines, they should be used properly — and if they’re not, they can cause harm. So argues a new white paper from Milliman, “Auto enrollment... READ MORE

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has created a task force to explore how his state can improve retirement security for private sector employees, with an eye toward recommending further action.According to a press release, the task force will meet this year “to conduct a comprehensive examination... READ MORE

The Great Recession wrought a lot of havoc — and 401(k)s did not escape the maelstrom. Many consider the recovery of the U.S. economy to be very gradual; a recent report by Gallup indicates that the same may be said for that of confidence of those not yet retired in 401(k)s as a primary source of... READ MORE

Defined contribution plans that were rewritten between May 1, 2008 and April 30, 2010 and that the IRS pre-approved need to be restated with the IRS. The six-year restatement period begins May 1, 2014 and ends April 30, 2016. The IRS issued a reminder in Announcement 2014-16.Employers using pre-... READ MORE

A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that while 81,000 new employer-sponsored retirement plans were formed during the 3-year period between 2009 and 2011, the overall trend was negative due to plan terminations — even with increased tax incentives. In addition, new... READ MORE

The IRS, in Notice 2014-19 and related FAQs, says that retirement plans have to recognize same-gender spouses and spells out how. The notice and FAQs, which the IRS issued April 4, are a follow-up on Revenue Ruling (Rev. Rul.) 2013-17, which provided general guidance on the tax implications of the... READ MORE