The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has finally made it official—the 2016 Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary investment advice final regulations and accompanying guidance are repealed. What Happens Next?
Read MoreWhat changes are forthcoming regarding qualified retirement plan hardship distribution rules? When are these changes effective? Is the plan document required to be amended for these changes?
Read MoreTwo Senators have introduced the “Commission on Retirement Security Act of 2018,” which is a bill that if enacted, would create a commission to study Americans’ private retirement programs and make recommendations to Congress for improvements.
Read MoreThe IRS has issued proposed regulations that would alter the rules for electronic filing requirements of retirement and certain tax-preferred savings account information returns, which would require more filing entities to file electronically.
Read MoreProperly terminating a retirement plan is not as simple as discontinuing funding and distributing the plan assets. There are a number of tasks an employer must consider and complete to properly terminate a retirement plan.
Read MoreQuick Reference Tool: Current contribution limits for employer-sponsored and IRA-based retirement plans.
Read MoreA Department of Labor bulletin announces a temporary non-enforcement policy stating that the DOL generally will not enforce the investment advice fiduciary guidance following action by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate its final regulations and exemptions package.
Read MoreThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued proposed guidance for broker-dealers and registered investment advisors who make recommendations to retail clients. Now that the DOL conflict-of-interest (fiduciary) regulations are vacated, this SEC guidance remains the standard for broker-dealers who make investment recommendations.
Read MoreIndividual retirement accounts (IRAs) hold one-quarter of all retirement plan assets in the U.S., yet only a small percentage of IRA owners contribute to their IRAs each year, according to an analysis of IRA data by the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI).
Read MoreHow do I fix a failure to timely file Form 5500 for my retirement plan? Is everyone eligible for DFVCP?
Read MoreConsistently filing incorrect information returns is a red flag to the IRS, prompting questions, a possible IRS audit, and potential financial organization penalties.
Read MoreThe 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has reversed a district court’s 2016 ruling in favor of the Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary regulations, stating that the DOL exceeded its statutory authority in issuing its fiduciary regulations.
Read MoreAre assets in a qualified retirement plan protected from creditors? How are owner-only plans, such as an Individual(k)™ plan, impacted? What is the effect on creditor protection if QRP assets are rolled over to an IRA?
Read MoreBudget Act of 2018 makes important changes to retirement plans and IRAs, including tax relief for California wildfire victims, hardship distribution rules relaxed, and changes to portability rules.
Read MoreCan a participant name someone other than her spouse as the designated beneficiary for her qualified retirement plan? If a participant has a last will and testament, should the plan administrator distribute plan assets to the person named on the beneficiary designation or to the person named in the last will and testament?
Read MoreThe IRS released an announcement in March that describes when it expects to begin issuing opinion and advisory letters for defined benefit (DB) pension plans.
Read MoreThe IRS announced a late change for 2017 Form 1099-R reporting of IRA and retirement plan qualified hurricane distributions. The IRS is not, however, requiring reporting corrections.
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What does it mean to be a fiduciary of a plan? Who are fiduciaries of the plan? Must a fiduciary tell participants that he is a fiduciary?
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