Advertisement
Technology
When was the last time you checked on your 401(k) account(s)?
And yes, I say account(s) because there’s evidence that many of us are leaving our old 401(k)s “behind.” TIAA has estimated that 30% of employees—tens of millions of Americans—left a retirement account at their previous employer,...
READ MORE
In late May, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued something that had been a long time coming—rules for electronic disclosure. A recent ASPPA webcast took a look at the new rule and what it requires.
In “The New Electronic Disclosure Rule Is Here!,” Kelsey Mayo, J.D., Lead Partner, Employee...
READ MORE
The results of a recent survey should serve as a wake-up call for plan sponsors, providers and related financial institutions about how they prevent, detect and resolve identify fraud.
During the next 12 months, criminals will strike at the heart of the financial services industry and negatively...
READ MORE
The Office of the Inspector General of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has issued its semiannual report to Congress. The report covers a wide range of PBGC activities, and places special emphasis on applications of technology and efforts against fraud.
Robert A. Westbrooks,...
READ MORE
The Internal Revenue Service has provided temporary administrative relief to help certain retirement plan participants or beneficiaries who need to make participant elections by allowing flexibility for remote signatures.
Specifically, Notice 2020-42 provides participants, beneficiaries and...
READ MORE
Acknowledging that technology has made significant strides over the past two decades—and that many Americans are working remotely during the COVID crisis—the Labor Department has finalized a new safe harbor for electronic disclosures.
The final rule adopted today is “fundamentally similar” to the...
READ MORE
U.S. employers holding return-to-work discussions can gain insight from the experiences of employers with essential workers that remained open throughout the pandemic.
To gain a better understanding, Mercer surveyed U.S. employers that have remained open to find out how they have adapted to the...
READ MORE
There are many factors that can make administering a defined benefit plan complicated. One of them, argues a recent blog entry, is information that is missing or incomplete—and it has broad effects and consequences.
In “Addressing Problematic Defined Benefit Data,” an entry in Milliman’s...
READ MORE
An increasing number of retirement plan participants are victims of cyber breaches. And this, argues a recent blog entry, puts more than participants at risk—it also puts plan sponsors at risk of fiduciary liability.
“Cybersecurity and Retirement Plans: What Plan Sponsors Should Do,” a recent...
READ MORE
Most plans have had to deal with situations in which a participant has died with benefits in a qualified plan. A recent ASPPA webcast discussed those situations, as well as others, and ways to handle them.
In “Best Practices on Handling Beneficiary Designations,” Robert M. Richter, J.D., LL.M...
READ MORE
In response to the logistical challenges created by the Coronavirus pandemic, some states are taking steps to authorize virtual notarization.
Given the unprecedented circumstances and the various notary-based requirements to conduct business transactions in person, these developments could be...
READ MORE
A new study finds that a significant percentage of plan sponsors have embraced the use of automatic plan design features, but adoption may have “plateaued” to some degree.
First fielded in 2010, the fifth edition of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association’s (DCIIA) plan...
READ MORE
The IRS now will accept both paper and electronic requests for advice. The IRS announced on April 30 that it is allowing the electronic submission of requests for letter rulings, closing agreements, determination letters and information letters under the jurisdiction of the IRS Office of Chief...
READ MORE
ASPPA provides extensive coverage concerning a host of aspects of the pandemic and its consequences for plan sponsors, administrators, service providers and participants. This includes how developments resulting from it have affected plans and participants, and how they can be addressed; discussion...
READ MORE
Law and regulation require that certain information is provided to plan participants. But those requirements have not necessarily kept pace with technological and social advances. The Labor Department is now addressing electronic means of disclosure, and an ASPPA webcast discussed some of the...
READ MORE
ASPPA is always providing information and insights that will be valuable to its members! Following is a summary of upcoming webcasts.
Live Webcasts
ASPPA Webcast: The Fiduciary Rule, Again?
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
2:00 - 3:40 p.m. ET
Speaker: Kevin Walsh, Principal, Groom Law Group...
READ MORE
The spread of COVID-19, and the measures to keep it under control, have caused dramatic changes in the financial environment underpinning retirement plans. A March 19 Plan Sponsor Council of America webinar discussed what it means for plans and participants.
In “COVID-19 Market Impact Analysis:...
READ MORE
At the American Retirement Association, the health and safety of our staff is paramount, and we remain committed to the support of the critical work of our members. Consequently, amidst growing concerns about the Coronavirus, the increasing number of schools and businesses that are closing, among...
READ MORE
The image of an older couple strolling the beach is fast joining the “museum of retirement clichés,” along with traditional approaches to retirement planning, a new study suggests.
Retirement is no longer about reaching a certain age but is more of a mindset, and American workers close to...
READ MORE
Sometimes what you don’t know is as important as what you know, and a Feb. 5 ASPPA webcast addressed how that principle applies to cybersecurity.
In “Cybersecurity: What You Don’t Know — and Do — Will Hurt You,” Bruce L. Ashton, APM, a Partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, offered a...
READ MORE