Author: Darlene Finzer

What the heck is a SAS 114 letter and why are you getting one? Read on to find out.

It's not breaking news - people are more likely to prepare for their next vacation before they plan for retirement. Read on to find out how to plan for both.

Wondering if you are maximizing your Social Security benefits? Worried that you won't get what you need during retirement? We're answering your real questions.

SSA will provide additional relief to retirees beginning 2021.

Wherever you’re at on the retirement spectrum there are practices you can put in place now to move you toward your retirement goals.

Gain insight on the long-term impact furloughs and layoffs will have on retirement plans.

Have you implemented (or plan on implementing) layoffs in your company? Before you do, consider how this decision will impact your retirement plan.

Taking your fiduciary responsibility seriously is a must. Want to find out why? Here‘s the scoop!

Being selected is not always a good thing ...

If you contract with a vendor to help manage your company's employee benefit plan, as for a SOC report.

Pending SECURE and RESA legislation aims to fix the retirement financial crisis and help workers save more for retirement. Read on to learn more.

New regulations could allow small businesses to band together in an effort to offer associate retirement plans. Read on to discover what you need to know.

Change is constant ... the same is true for your employee benefit plan audit standards. Read on to learn more.

Ever wonder if you or your employees could opt out of paying Social Security based on religious reasons? Read on for answers.

Are you tired of collecting paper? Who isn't?! Find out the document retention rules for plan sponsors under ERISA.

Similar to preparing a student for a big test, there's only so much you can do to prepare your retirement plan for nondiscrimination ADP compliance testing. Read on to learn more.

Retirement plan sponsors, do you know what considerations to keep in mind before choosing a plan auditor? This article will help.

It's time to predict the future ... err ... determine if your retirement plan has an audit requirement.

It can be tempting to blindly sign the representation letter from your audit team. After all, it's the only thing standing between you and your completed report. Keep reading to learn why you should proceed with caution.

The AICPA has proposed new auditing standards in the hopes of solving the wide-spread shortcomings associated with employee benefit plan audits. Read on to find out what's on the table.

The Fiduciary Rule is an attempt to require anyone providing investment advice for a retirement account (in exchange for compensation) to act as a fiduciary. Read on to learn more.

Have you taken advantage of your chance to review advance copies of the 2016 Form 5500 to find out how the DOL's proposed changes will impact your business?

The DOL’s focus has been primarily on retirement plans, but that’s changing. Focus is shifting to health and welfare plans. Businesses that offer these plans should pay special attention to compliance.

Back when pensions were standard, workers could count on receiving payouts based on a formula that took their salary and the number of years they worked into consideration to determine their monthly income in retirement. That's not how it works today.

Retirement plan fiduciaries are held to a higher standard when it comes to protecting participant and beneficiary personal identifiable information. Find out how you can protect cybercriminals from breaching this sensitive data.

The DOL released its final regulation to define who is expected to assume fiduciary responsibility of a retirement plan as determined by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Read on for tips to help you prepare.

If you don’t know the actual cost of plan services, how can you know if the price the plan is paying is reasonable? Are you paying a few dollars in convenience charges or a lot more? In order to meet your fiduciary responsibility as a retirement plan sponsor, it's your responsibility to find out. Read on to learn more.

Protect your company from noncompliance issues that may result from choosing the wrong team to conduct your employee benefit plan audit. Read on to learn how.

In July 2011, federal solutions group RSA’s Anti-Fraud Command Center detected more than 25,000 phishing attacks, the most recorded in a one-month period. A part of the reason: Employees are increasingly being deceived into providing personal information through their employee benefit accounts. Fraudsters use victim’s fears and emotions to target high level employees who have … Continued

Congratulations! You’re a fiduciary for your organization’s retirement plan. Whether you were volunteered for the position or it is an understood part of your job description, being a fiduciary is no doubt a very small part of your much larger job responsibilities. But don’t take the responsibility lightly because what you don’t know about being … Continued

Being a fiduciary is no doubt a very small part of your much larger job responsibilities. But what you don’t know about being a fiduciary can hurt you and your company. You could be held personally liable for any wrongful act including individual employee decisions associated with the administration of your benefit plans. Court cases … Continued

Although cafeteria plans have been in existence since 1978, they have not become popular with small employers until the last few years. The factors driving their popularity are 1) technology – plans are now much more affordable for small employers, and 2) higher health insurance premiums – employers have been forced to share these costs … Continued