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Financial Resources & News

Mastering the Art of Distributing Participant Notices

Over the years, regulatory bodies like the DOL and IRS have provided clarity on plan sponsor obligations regarding participant notice delivery. These responsibilities are critical for maintaining transparency and regulatory adherence. Some recordkeepers may offer electronic delivery options, but plan sponsors still need to understand the requirements to ensure the information is reaching all...

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Plan Ahead for 2025 Long-Term, Part-Time (LTPT) Employees

As a reminder, eligibility requirements went into effect for Long-Term, Part-Time (LTPT) employees as of January 1, 2024. However, additional changes that affect who is considered a LTPT employee will be coming for 2025. Please see the chart below to plan ahead and ask us if you have any doubts!  20242025Plan Type401(k) only401(k) and ERISA 403(b)Years of service required*32Disregard years...

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Upcoming Compliance Deadlines

September 2024 15th:  Required contribution to defined benefit plans, money purchase pension plans and target benefit pension plans. 15th:  Contribution deadline for deducting 2023 employer contributions for those sponsors who filed an extension for Partnership or S-Corporation tax returns to extend the March 15, 2024 deadline. 30th: Deadline for certification of the Annual Funding...

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Monthly Market Update (July 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Expectations for rate cuts buoyed the industries that have been hit hardest by the Fed’s campaign of rate hikes and the market rally started to broaden out. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 eked out a +1.2% gain in July. The “Magnificent 7” was down -0.6% in total return terms thanks to a strong final day, but that’s still a big shift from gains of more than +9% in both May...

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Monthly Market Update (June 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Stock market concentration became more extreme during the quarter. The top 10 stocks in the S&P 500 make up just over 30% of the index which is the highest in history. The catalyst for a change in market leaders likely comes from a regime or market/economic change. Here are 3 things you need to know: In Q2, the S&P 500 was up 4.28% with the top 10 stocks contributing 5.60%, meaning the...

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Tax Treatment of Home Energy Rebates

The IRS has provided guidance on the federal income tax treatment of certain home energy rebates offered by states, with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Background The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 included two provisions allowing rebates for home energy efficiency retrofit projects and home electrification and appliance projects. These home energy rebate programs are to...

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What Does the Future Hold for Social Security and Medicare

Each year, the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds provide detailed reports to Congress that track the programs' current financial condition and projected financial outlook. These reports have warned for years that the trust funds would be depleted in the not-too-distant future, and the most recent reports, released on May 6, 2024, show that Social Security and Medicare...

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Monthly Market Update (May 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

In May there was a generally positive picture across the board after what was a challenging April. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 was up +5.0% (total return) and hit another record, but the rally continued to be a narrow one. For example, the Magnificent 7 rose +9.1%, but the equal-weighted S&P 500 was only up +2.8%. It was a very strong month for several precious...

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Maximizing Retirement Savings with a Backdoor Roth IRA Contribution: A Step-by-Step Guide

Does tax-free growth for your retirement nest egg sound good to you? Perhaps your employer doesn't offer a Roth retirement option, or your income exceeds the limits for direct Roth IRA contributions? If so, the backdoor Roth IRA strategy could be what you have been looking for! A Roth IRA is a retirement account where contributions are made with after-tax dollars, offering tax-free growth and...

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Markets in Review

The U.S. stock market surged in the first quarter of 2024 (Q1), once again led by the S&P 500 Index. The index notched 22 new highs in the quarter, increasing by 10.2%. Mega cap technology stocks led the charge with NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms Inc. (META), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) appreciating by 82.5%, 37.2%, 18.7%, and 11.9%, respectively. However, a...

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Is Automatic Enrollment Required for Your Plan?

An automatic enrollment provision can be a useful tool to drive employee engagement in plans, particularly for participants who otherwise have not yet considered their retirement situation. These provisions allow an employer to withhold deferrals from the employee’s pay without the employee making an election. By utilizing automatic enrollment, an employer can boost participation while...

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A Refresher on RMDs

Although required minimum distributions (RMDs) are now mandatory components of tax-deferred retirement plans, this was not always the case. RMD rules began to apply to qualified plans following the Tax Reform Act of 1986, after policy makers noticed that retirement account holders were saving the funds for their beneficiaries rather than their own retirement spending. A plan retains...

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New Questions on the 2023 Form 5500

The IRS Form 5500 is an annual return that is filed for most qualified retirement plans. Here are a few new items you may notice on the form for plan years that began in 2023. Participant count has been expanded for defined contribution plans. The large plan audit requirement is now based on the number of participants with account balances at the beginning of the plan year, rather than the total...

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Upcoming Compliance Deadlines

May 2024 15th:  Quarterly Benefit Statement – Deadline for participant-directed plans to supply participants with the quarterly benefit/disclosure statement, including a statement of plan fees and expenses charged to individual plan accounts during the first quarter of 2024. June 2024 30th: EACA ADP/ACP Corrections – Deadline for processing corrective distributions for failed ADP/ACP tests...

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A Refresher on Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

Although required minimum distributions (RMDs) are now mandatory components of retirement plans, this was not always the case. RMD rules began to apply to qualified plans following the Tax Reform Act of 1986, after policy makers noticed that retirement account holders were saving the funds for their beneficiaries rather than their own retirement spending. Fast-forward to the current day, where...

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