ASPPA & Western Benefits Conference

ERISA Counsel - Tax Qualifications
T. Rowe Price
in MD

Regional Vice President/Retirement Plan Wholesaler
Ohio National Financial Services
in CA, GA, KS, MO, NE, TX

Retirement Plan Design & Drafting Consultant
AUL / OneAmerica Financial
in IN

Retirement Plan Services Consultant or Plan Manager
AUL / OneAmerica Financial
in IN

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Form 5500 for Welfare Plans 2014 - 2-part Web Seminar
June 2, 2004 WEBCAST
(SunGard Relius)

Pension Plan De-risking & Terminated Vested Buyouts: Why Now?
May 28, 2014 WEBCAST
(Findley Davies, Inc.)

Washington Update
June 3, 2014 in FL
(ASPPA Benefits Council [ABC] of North Florida)

New Ways to Avoid Late Filing Penalties
June 9, 2014 WEBCAST
(SunGard Relius)

Washington Update
June 17, 2014 in TX
(ASPPA Benefits Council [ABC] of Dallas/Fort Worth)

Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program
June 18, 2014 WEBCAST
(Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor)

Yes, You're a Fiduciary
July 24, 2014 WEBCAST
(TRI-AD)

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Text of IRS PLR 201420028: Retirement Plan of Affiliated Religious Organizations Not Under Direct Control of Identifiable Church Has Not Been a 'Church Plan' Since 1953 (PDF)
"You have represented that a relationship exists between the Religion X churches in Area 1 and Entity A in that the activities of Entity A and the other entities that adopted Plan 1 are interwoven with and enhance the spiritual mission of the Religion X churches in Area 1, and that Entity A and the other entities that adopted Plan 1 provide a broad range of communal services to the Religion X community that would otherwise be provided directly by the Religion X churches.... [But] we find that you have not demonstrated that a church, or association or convention of churches, is associated with Entity A, any of the other entities that adopted Plan 1, or the Pension Committee in such a way that the employees of Entity A and the employees of the other entities that adopted Plan 1 could be deemed to be employed by a church, or association or convention of churches. Thus ... Plan 1 is not a church plan under section 414(e) of the Code and has not so qualified since its establishment [in 1953]." (Internal Revenue Service [IRS])

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Learn, Network and Sell at the SPARK National Conference

Join senior executives from leading retirement services firms for unequaled networking, educational and sales opportunities. Gain insights into the latest market trends, business strategies, regulatory and legislative issues, and product developments. June 15-17. Register now.

Record Keeper Consolidation Will Continue
"The consensus among DC industry consultants, executives and experts is that record keeper consolidation will continue, driven by rising technology costs, lower fees and increased intellectual capital needed to remain competitive. The prognosis is for fewer providers -- which will result in higher fees and worse service." (National Association of Plan Advisors [NAPA])

Roth IRAs Growing Twice as Fast as Traditional IRAs
"Roth conversions continued in 2011 and 2012 and still today even without the 2-year deal, but the rush in 2010 was the big push and made people think more about paying tax now to build a tax-free retirement fund. The sweetener worked and created awareness of the Roth IRA benefits. It also filled the government coffers with much needed revenues so it was a win-win -- a rarity for taxpayers and Uncle Sam." (The Slott Report)

Small Business 401(k) Plans are Effective for Participants
"The conventional wisdom for small business 401k plans is that smaller companies pay more, get less and are not nearly as sophisticated as larger plans. Our data suggest that smaller plans choosing a disciplined, low-risk approach to plan administration and investment selection do quite well in comparison with some of the largest employers." (Employee Fiduciary)

How Tax Reform for Retirement Plans Can Affect Risk and Compliance (PDF)
"Current legislative proposals relating to retirement benefits can be grouped into three categories: [1] those whose goals are purely fiscal, [2] those seeking to expand the current system by adding programs or features that will increase access to it or enhance its fairness and [3] those that would make the system more efficient by updating rules effectuating obsolete or conflicting policies.... Any such proposals must balance the goals of increasing revenue and limiting expenditures with maintaining a retirement benefits system that provides effective incentives to save for retirement without undue administrative complexity." (The Wagner Law Group)

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ERISA Audits: What We All Knew but Forgot

June 5 live webinar. Understand potential audit triggers and hot button areas, the scope of audits, what to expect in such audits, and best practices to avoid audit complications. BenefitsLink discount .

The Wealth-Building Power of Equities and the Elegance of Indexing
"Index funds provide the benefit of diversification in a single investment vehicle, eliminating the challenge of evaluating individual securities. Index funds help take the emotion out of investing.... Index funds tend to be more cost effective and more tax efficient than actively managed mutual funds." (Charles Schwab)

Retirement Plan Design Changes That Could Especially Benefit Women
"Witnesses for a hearing about women's retirement security advocated for Social Security improvements, expanded retirement plan access, and plan design changes.... 'The private retirement system which includes employer-sponsored plans needs to be extended so that those without access to a workplace plan will have the opportunity to save. These opportunities need to be extended to part-time and temporary workers,' M. Cindy Hounsell, JD, president of the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement, said." (PLANSPONSOR)

As New York City's Elderly Population Swells, Concerns Rise Over Lack of Access to Retirement Plans
"By 2030, the city will have 1.3 million people 65 and over, up from a million today.... 59 percent of workers in the city do not have either a pension or a 401(k), up from 51 percent a decade ago. Many small businesses do not have the human resources capacity to manage a 401(k).... In [one] proposal for the city, workers would be required to contribute a percentage of their pay. There would be no required employer match." (The New York Times; subscription may be required)

Incredible Marketing Opportunity for RIAs
"The [DOL's] pending fiduciary revisions and the SEC's stall tactics provide an incredible opportunity for investment advisers, who are already subject to a fiduciary standard. Prudent investment advisers will focus their marketing on the inequitable dual standard that currently exists and the dangers that result from same." (The Prudent Investment Adviser Rules)

You Can't Tell the Retirement Policy Players, Even with a Scorecard
"According to a recent survey, the number one concern of Americans is not health care or health care costs, it's not unemployment, and it's not a failed immigration policy. It's having money on hand in a sufficient amount to be able to retire in a dignified and proper manner.... Both the President's budget proposal and the Camp tax overhaul have something that both Republicans and Democrats seem to share -- a lack of understanding of a sound retirement policy even though funding for retirement is the primary concern of Americans. Both proposals beg the question: if you take away the already restricted opportunities for business owners to save on a tax-advantaged basis, won't you further limit the opportunities for their employees?" (Benefits Bryan Cave)

New Regs Allow Disability Insurance Premiums to Be Paid from Retirement Plan Accounts
"[A]mounts from a qualified plan used to pay for accident or health insurance premiums generally are taxable distributions ... However, the general rule does not apply to special 'plan contribution replacement' disability insurance policies ... If certain conditions are met, the premium payments by the plan are not treated as taxable distributions and the benefits paid to the participant's account in the plan are treated as investment earnings rather than contributions." (Holland & Knight)

Use Caution: The Effect of Inversions and Entity Expatriations on Key Executive Compensation
"A recent scenario highlights the costly consequences of [Internal Revenue Code sections] 7874 and 4985 on companies that seek to protect the benefits they pay executives.... [A corporation] eventually determined that it would have to treat the transaction as an inversion under section 7874, thereby resulting in the 15% penalty tax for its executives and directors on their options and specified stock compensation. Reasoning that the executives and directors should not be penalized for a transaction that was in shareholders' best interests, [the company] agreed to make tax reimbursements that totaled $31 million -- a sizeable dent in the tax savings they forecasted they would make from the inversion." (Bloomberg BNA)

Multiple Say-on-Pay Failures Reveal Common Themes
"[W]hile these companies often engaged with shareholders following an earlier failed vote, those engagement activities and/or compensation program changes often fell short of fully addressing shareholder concerns.... [I]nfluence is often concentrated with the CEO, who was frequently the company founder or occupied both the CEO and board chairman roles with no additional independent board leadership." (Towers Watson)

2014 Trends and Developments in Executive Compensation (PDF)
"Companies are going to greater lengths to evaluate and demonstrate a strong relationship between executive pay and performance ... 96% of companies expect shareholder support above 70% in 2014, typically in the mid to high 90's. Merit increases remained relatively modest (median of 3%) for both executives and non-executives.... Long-term performance plans now make up 53% of total [Long-Term Incentive] award values, with stock options down to only 18%." (Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC)

Outcomes-Based Wellness Incentives on the Rise, Defined Contribution Under Consideration, bswift Study Finds bswift

Federal Judge Issues Consent Judgment Ordering Oregon Realtor to Repay $420,127 to Profit-sharing plan, Following US Labor Department Investigation Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor

Customer Service Representatives and Support Staff Strike Against Associated Third Party Administrators Office and Professional Employees International Union [OPEIU]

Some Suspended or Disbarred Tax Practitioners Are Now Permitted to Obtain PTINs and Prepare Tax Returns IRS [Internal Revenue Service]

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