Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
For years, BLR® has surveyed HR and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your participation in our monthly series of brief, targeted benefits surveys. Today’s survey topic: 401(k) Plans. (We’ll publish the results in a future issue.) Please participate in this brief survey and we’ll determine just how employers are handling their […]
Financial security in retirement is one of our nation’s cornerstone principles when it comes to the way we have come to envision quality of life from cradle to grave. With this in mind, Social Security has long been considered the safety net for most Americans in retirement. In recent years, however, the perception of Social […]
Ever made a poor financial decision? If you’re like the rest of us, you occasionally make a decision that baffles even you. You may sometimes wonder why your employees don’t do things, like participating in the 401(k) plan, that are obvious ways to improve their financial well-being. Sheri Fitts, director of Communications and Large Plan […]
by Jennifer Benz Social media is the buzz at every corporate communications or HR conference, and the tools are growing more quickly than anything else online. Yet few companies are effectively integrating these tools into their benefits or strategic HR communications. Many companies are paralyzed because they don’t understand the tools, or they assume social […]
If you’re the proud recipient of one of the 1,200 questionnaires recently sent to some 401(k) plan sponsors by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), please don’t assume that it’s just routine and ask an inexperienced employee to complete it. Sandra Feingerts, a partner with Fisher & Phillips, LLP, worries that doing so could result in […]
by Douglas R. Chamberlain When facing financial difficulties, employees often look to their retirement plans as a possible source of needed funds. Many plans offer participant loans or permanent withdrawals, the latter generally on a hardship basis. However, plan loans and withdrawals can jeopardize the employee’s retirement benefits, and both are subject to complex rules […]
(Updated Dec. 4, 2009) by Douglas R. Chamberlain When facing financial difficulties, employees often look to their retirement plans as a possible source of needed funds. Many plans offer participant loans or permanent withdrawals, the latter generally on a hardship basis. However, plan loans and withdrawals can jeopardize the employee’s retirement benefits, and both are […]
by Gary Jiles Q. How do I go about starting a 401(k) plan for my employees, and what are some of the general requirements? Keep up with the latest changes in laws regarding employee benefits with the Benefits and Compensation Law Alert. A. Choosing to offer a 401(k) retirement savings plan for your employees is […]
In the past year, litigation filed under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) has exploded, and it’s quickly becoming an ever-present reality for employers. One of the most recent and fastest-growing areas of this litigation involves 401(k) fee cases. Because the lawsuits are very new and still not well publicized, they catch many employers […]