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Retirement Income

Employees would no longer be required to opt in to participate in the Hawaii Retirement Savings Program but rather would be automatically enrolled under legislation now before the Hawaii House and Senate.  Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (D-Waikiki) introduced SB2553 on Jan. 19, 2024; Rep. Andrew Garrett (D-... READ MORE
One of the optional provisions in the SECURE 2.0 Act that some employers were very excited about is the provision to allow a 401(k) match based on a participant’s student loan payment rather than deferrals. This was seen by many as a way to help young (or not so young) employees start saving for... READ MORE
Two headlines caught my eye recently—provocative “what if”-type questions. I’m talking about “Will Retirement Income Solutions Finally Break Through in 2024?” and “Will Managed Accounts (Finally) Take Hold as QDIAs?” Both, of course, included the word “finally” in the title(s)—no doubt because the... READ MORE
Loans to pay for an education: an investment in the future, but also a drag on it. Research and recent insights suggest that while loans help fund steps intended to improve one’s position, in some ways they can threaten future security by affecting retirement saving. It’s a debt whose effects... READ MORE
The IRS has made the 2023 Cumulative List of Changes in Plan Qualification Requirements for Defined Contribution Qualified Pre-Approved Plans available. The new list, contained in Notice 2024-3, provides updated listings of required modifications and information packages for DC plans.  The 2023... READ MORE
One provision in particular in the SECURE 2.0 Act is receiving the lion’s share of attention from retirement plan sponsors and participants. Section 110 allows student loan payments to be treated as elective deferrals for purposes of matching contributions. Yet guidance on how it will happen is... READ MORE
There have been significant changes to the IRS Pre-Approved Defined Contribution Plan Program, and two of the IRS officials involved in the thick of it recently provided a refresher on the program rules and recent developments.  Milo Atlas of the Retirement Plan Forms and Publications Office at... READ MORE
Washington—the state, not the city—is considering legislation that would establish a state-run retirement plan to cover those whose employers do not offer one.  If the legislation is enacted, the Evergreen State would join its Pacific Coast neighbors in providing such a plan. California was the... READ MORE
The benefits of delaying Social Security benefits are by now generally accepted. While not appropriate for everyone, waiting to age 70 (the maximum age allowed) means a 24% increase in benefits versus claiming at age 67 (full retirement age). Add in the fact that benefits are inflation-linked and... READ MORE
The government should limit contributions or accumulations in tax-advantaged retirement plans—or tax the earnings each year—to address Social Security’s shortfall, a trio of high-profile industry academics argue in a new paper. It’s the latest in a string of controversial ideas that 401(k)... READ MORE
December’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) didn’t keep pace with inflation, but a new report says that Social Security beneficiaries could be riding an inflation rollercoaster this year, courtesy of 2023’s 8.7% COLA—alongside static income thresholds for taxation of benefits.... READ MORE
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) on Jan. 19 announced that it has chosen the firms that will participate in its Smaller Asset Managers Program (SAMP).  SAMP is intended to reduce barriers to competition and create opportunities for smaller asset investment management firms. SAMP... READ MORE
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced Jan. 18 that its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released a proposed regulation on automatic portability transactions under SECURE 2.0. The DOL said automatic portability transactions aim to help workers keep track of their retirement... READ MORE
The IRS has issued final regulations updating the minimum present value requirements for pension plan distributions. The IRS issued the final regulations on Jan. 19.  The IRS had issued proposed regulations in 2016 that updated the minimum present value requirements for defined benefit plan... READ MORE
Plan professionals may find it useful to know that plan sponsors continue to make participants’ retirement security a priority, and are boosting their work to enhance it.  JP Morgan, in its fifth Defined Contribution Plan Sponsor Survey, which provides the results of an online survey of 788... READ MORE
Rhode Island is on the road to possibly becoming a member of the Secure Choice Club. A bill has been introduced in the state’s House of Representatives that would establish a state-run retirement program that would cover those whose employers do not offer one.  Rep. Evan P. Shanley (D-East... READ MORE
Often there can be confusion in more ways than one when trying to understand why actuaries report liabilities for defined benefit plans. The reason actuaries report plan liabilities in different manners has to do with the interplay between interest rates, the economy, and the reporting purpose.... READ MORE
The U.S. retirement system is a success—but we still can do better. That was the message from an expert panel that recently examined the gaps in that system and made suggestions regarding how to fill them.  Pete Swisher, Managing Partner at Group Plan Systems, and Annie Messer, President, Member... READ MORE
The IRS has issued initial guidance to help employers with implementation of pension-linked emergency savings accounts (PLESAs). Authorized under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, PLESAs are individual accounts in defined contribution plans—designed to permit and encourage employees to save for... READ MORE
From New England to Key West, from the Atlantic to the Great Plains, there are bills before state legislatures that would expand retirement plan coverage for certain public-sector employees.   Rhode Island  Rep. Patricia Serpa (D-West Warwick) on Jan. 5 introduced HB 7026, a measure that would... READ MORE

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