Did your parents or a teacher ever threaten you with dire consequences in order to correct an undesirable behavior? “If you cross your eyes, they’ll get stuck that way.” “Young man, this will go on your permanent record!”
June
01
2016
What Does Retirement Plan Disqualification Mean?
Posted by David J. Kupstas, FSA, EA, MSEA
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
May
10
2016
Four Great Things the IRS Has Done for Us Recently
Posted by David J. Kupstas, FSA, EA, MSEA
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
Right now, I am loving me some IRS. The agency everyone loves to hate each April 15 has been on quite a roll lately with some really great news for those of us in the 401(k) and pension world. Here’s what they’ve done this year:
April
14
2016
Use Caution When Putting Real Estate in Your Retirement Plan
Posted by David J. Kupstas, FSA, EA, MSEA
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
Mutual funds. ETFs. Treasury notes. Stocks. Bonds. All of these are investments commonly found inside qualified retirement plans. How about real estate? Is that permitted? I am not talking about REITs or a real estate mutual fund. I mean, can a retir...
April
01
2016
Read Form 5500 EZ Instructions & Work with Competent Advisors
Posted by David J. Kupstas, FSA, EA, MSEA
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
There is some confusion in Retirement Plan Land about who needs to file Form 5500-EZ and who doesn’t, according to an IRS compliance project. Some plan sponsors are turning to the wrong people for advice, not reading the form’s instructions, or both.
March
23
2016
401(k) plan request for proposal (RFP) process
Posted by J. Saunders Wiggins, CFP®, AIF®
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
While requests for proposal (RFPs) are a common practice among large companies and government organizations, very few small businesses use them, especially for a 401(k) plan. However, much can be learned from the process of an RFP and what questions ...
March
04
2016
UPDATE: The Treasury and the IRS announced on April 14 that the proposed rules we wrote about below are being withdrawn at this time. Yay! We will post a separate article about the withdrawal of these proposed regulations in the coming weeks.
February
23
2016
Simplicity of a SEP Comes With a Price
Posted by David J. Kupstas, FSA, EA, MSEA
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
When you first think about it, the idea of a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan seems appealing. Qualified retirement plans like 401(k)s can be complicated and confusing. With a SEP, you don’t need to hire a Third Party Administrator, there are n...
February
08
2016
Protect Your Retirement Savings: How to Verify Your Financial Advisor can be Trusted
Posted by Jimmy Pickert, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS®
in 401(k), Investments, Retirement, Wealth Management
with No Comments
Last week I watched the two-part TV series, Madoff. The made-for-TV movie chronicles the exploits and downfall of notorious white collar criminal, Bernie Madoff, the manager of the multi-billion dollar hedge fund. Except that it wasn’t a hedge fund—i...
February
05
2016
A Gray Day: Goodbye to an Old Friend
Posted by David J. Kupstas, FSA, EA, MSEA
in 401(k), Retirement, Financial Planning
with No Comments
I am registered to attend the national Enrolled Actuaries Meeting in April. I have missed this annual conference only once since 1997. Unfortunately, a friend that has been there with me every time will not be joining me this year and may never again...
January
28
2016
ADP. ACP. 402(g). Safe harbor. Cross-tested. 404(a)(5). Top-heavy. TPA. 410(b). CPA. 415. ERISA. 404. IRS. DOL. Blackout notice. Revenue sharing. 5500. QDIA.