Does your plan have target date funds (TDFs)? Are you doing enough in managing those investments as the plan fiduciary? Let’s see what the Department of Labor (“DOL”) says about these funds. The DOL has general guidance on the selection and monitoring of TDFs. With many plan sponsors making these TDFs available to participants, it …
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) has been working on revisions to the current “Fiduciary” Conflict of Interest Rule for multiple years but on April 8, 2016, the DOL’s final rule was posted to the Federal Register which is effective June 7, 2016 and applicable beginning April 10, 2017. The rule now defines who is a …
As plan auditors we are frequently asked how long documents relating to a plan should be retained by the plan sponsor. Like anything related to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), there is no one simple answer. Before discussing some general guidelines on record retention, let’s discuss some general responsibilities of the plan sponsor to operate …
Plan sponsors have an option to incorporate a true-up provision into their employee benefit plan(s). True-up adjustments are done at the end of the plan year in order to ensure that the amount of employer matching contributions is grossed up to maximum allowable benefit per the plan document; they protect the less savvy participants from …
Are you a benefit plan fiduciary, or maybe you are the administrator for a benefit plan and work closely with the plan fiduciary? If you are, then hopefully this article will provide some key dates and tasks to remember; or, if you are currently aware of all these dates and tasks, then hopefully this article …
A key element in setting up an employee benefit plan is determining which service provider to use. With so many to choose from how do you know which one is the best for your employee benefit plan? Sure, each service provider has a plethora of information about their services available on their website, but how …
If your company offers its employees a 401(k) or 403(b) plan then it is your fiduciary responsibility to ensure those salary reductions are paid into the plan assets in a timely manner. If money taken out of your employees’ paychecks is paid late, then you, the employer, may owe excise tax and be subject to …
Open Enrollment Time Again – As a Plan Administrator what questions should you be asking yourself? • First and foremost you should ensure that the Plan Document and your Summary Plan Description (SPD) is up-to-date and supports the plan administrative practices that the Plan Administration has put into place. For example, if your Plan Document states …
During audits of 401(k) plans, one of the most common internal control deficiencies we communicate to management is when the plan sponsor relies on a third party administrator to make sure that loan requests are in compliance with federal regulations and the plan document. The plan sponsor always maintains fiduciary responsibility with compliance on loans …
There are two types of fees that may be charged to your retirement plan that are different from administrative fees. These fees are usually in connection with investment choices that are made available to participants. One type of fee is known as the sales charges. You may also hear these sales charges referred to as …