4 Questions Plan Sponsors Should Ask to Understand the Similarities and Differences Between 401(k) and 403(b) Plans

1. Which employers can offer a 403(b) plan?

• Public education organizations such as public elementary and high schools, state colleges and universities, and boards of education.
• 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations such as private schools, research facilities, private hospitals, charities, social welfare agencies, healthcare organizations, and religious institutions.
• Grandfathered Indian tribal governments.
• Certain religious ministers of a church or related religious organizations.

2. Which employers can offer a 401(k) plan?

Almost any type of company may offer a 401(k) plan. Most private, for-profit companies are eligible. Many tax-exempt, non-profit organizations have a choice between sponsoring a 401(k), a 403(b), or both.

6 Questions Plan Sponsors Should Ask About Safe Harbor Plans

1. What are safe harbor plans?

Safe harbor plans are retirement plans that generally satisfy the non-discrimination rules for elective deferrals and employer matching contributions and therefore are appealing to organizations that are at risk of failing the ADP and ACP tests (see below). Safe harbor plans can be offered with the same flexible features as traditional retirement plans, including eligibility, participant loans, and distributions. However, employers must satisfy certain contribution, vesting, and notice requirements and employers may not apply allocation conditions to safe harbor contributions (e.g., last day of employment requirement, 1,000 hours in the year requirement, etc.).

2. What is non-discrimination testing?

Generally, the U.S. Government wants to ensure that plans do not favor highly compensated

7 Questions Plan Fiduciaries Should Ask About Target Date Fund Strategies

1. What is a Qualified Default Investment Alternative (QDIA)?

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) encouraged employers to adopt automatic enrollment features for their participant‐directed plans by providing a new type of fiduciary liability relief for “default investments,” or Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs). A QDIA is used when a participant fails to make his or her own election. An investment must have specific qualifications to be considered a QDIA. Importantly, a QDIA’s asset allocation strategy need only take into account participant age, and does not need to consider an individual participant’s risk tolerance or other investment assets. One of four types of allowable QDIA’s, Target Date Funds (TDFs) were the QDIA in 95% of retirement plans in 2015 (Source: Vanguard, 2016).

2. What due diligence should plan fiduciaries perform when choosing a TDF?

12 Questions Retirement Plan Sponsors Should Ask about Adding An Automatic Enrollment Arrangement

1. What is an Automatic Enrollment Arrangement?

Traditionally, defined contribution retirement plans have required employees to affirmatively choose to save money in the plan through salary deferral. Today’s plans that adopt Automatic Enrollment are encouraging employees to save by making salary deferral the default, requiring them to opt-out or choose not to contribute to the plan.

2. What are the different types of Automatic Enrollment Arrangements?

8 Questions Plan Sponsors Should Ask About Adding a Roth Feature

1. What is a Roth?

According to the 2015 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey, 62% of all defined contribution plans, across multiple industries now offer a Roth feature. Among 403(b) plans, 54.7% have adopted this popular design feature. A Roth is not a separate retirement plan, but simply an additional source of contributions accepted by the plan and record-kept separately so the rules applicable to Roth contributions can be followed. Once adopted, plan sponsors must give participants an opportunity at least once per plan year to make designated Roth contributions.

The basic difference between a traditional 401(k) or 403(b) and a Roth is when a participant pays taxes. Within a traditional 401(k) or 403(b), participants make contributions with pre-tax dollars, and receive a tax break up front, effectively lowering their current income tax bill. Their contributions and earnings grow tax-deferred until they take a distribution. At that time, withdrawals are considered to be ordinary income and participants pay taxes based upon their effective tax rate at the time of the distribution. They’ll also be required to pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty unless they’re over 59 ½ years of age.

Register for our live webinar:

Retirement Plan Lawsuits on the Rise

A number of prestigious colleges and universities, including several Ivy League schools, have recently appeared in the headlines as defendants in class action lawsuits relative to their retirement plans.

Starting in 2006, the law firm of Schlichter, Bogard and Denton filed a bevy of lawsuits against corporate giants relative to the 401(k) plans sponsored by each corporation. A common thread through all of the suits was excessive fees, but the overarching theme was the alleged failure on the part of the plan fiduciaries to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities and obligations. Settlements have been reached in several of the suits, resulting in settlement amounts in the tens of millions of dollars.

Lawyers on behalf of retirement plan participants are now setting their sights on non-profit institutions, including one hospital in New York. This is a wake-up call to all non-profit organizations to make sure their retirement plan fiduciary oversight is robust and compliant.

Join this webinar to help you better understand and mitigate this often overlooked risk.The webinar will discuss:

• an overview of retirement plan litigation;
• the risk to the healthcare and not-for-profit industries;
• preventative measures to avoid litigation; and
• what the future may hold.

CLICK HERE to register 

Tuesday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m.

PRESENTER: James J. Kelley, President, Strategic Benefit Services

James Kelley directs all of the activities and services for Strategic Benefit Services. He has more than 20 years of experience in the institutional retirement market. Jim has spent much of his career working with healthcare and other not-for-profit organizations. He holds his New York State life, accident, and health and variable annuities license. He has his FINRA Series 6, 63, and 26 licenses. He is an accredited Plan Sponsor Retirement Professional. In Jim's role as senior executive for all SBS operations, he sets firm policy and has responsibility for all operations, customer service, and personnel for retirement plan services, employee benefits, and all other Advisory Services.

UPDATED REPORT! Report Offers Steps for Building an Optimal Retirement Plan Investment Menu

A retirement plan’s overarching goals are to help participants accumulate wealth during their years of employment and to provide them with income during their retirement.

The challenge for fiduciaries is to successfully navigate the options available and build an optimal investment menu that is designed to guide participant choices and improve their retirement readiness. Since plan fiduciaries may be exposed to personal liability, it is prudent to have a process in place for the selection and monitoring of investment options.

Strategic Benefit Services has outlined a four-step process for constructing an optimal investment menu that:

• fosters ERISA compliance;
• provides desirable investment choices for plan participants; and
• impacts retirement outcomes.

Complete the form below to download "4 Steps to Building an Optimal Retirement Plan Lineup for Participants". If you have any questions, or would like to begin talking to a retirement plan advisor, please get in touch by calling (855) 882-9177 or by email.