The No Surprises Act: A Cost Saving Opportunity for Employer Plan Sponsors
I f you’re thinking of hiring your payroll provider to also serve as your 401(k) plan’s third-party administrator (TPA), stop. Think again. Then think again harder. I’ve been an ERISA attorney for more than 25 years. In that...more
Certain transactions between employee benefit plans and “parties in interest” are prohibited under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). ...more
Our lives are the sum of our choices, at least that is what the trailer for the next Mission Impossible moving is telling me. When I was a kid, I would read these Choose Your Own Adventure books where the story and outcome...more
I was very lucky that when I started as an ERISA attorney in 1998, I worked as a staff attorney for a third-party administrator (TPA). It gave me insight and experience that I could never have gotten as an attorney working...more
At work and at home, one of the worst things I ever did was make a mistake and not accept responsibility for it. Instead of owning up, I would make excuses, turning the fight over the mistake into a bigger issue than the...more
As I have always said, the most important 401(k) plan provider you can hire is a Third-Party Administrator (TPA). That’s because a TPA does so much work, and their incompetence can lead to you getting penalized or forcing you...more
When I was a kid in day school in Brooklyn, we had a classmate whose shtick was that he was rich. He wasn’t rich, his father was a pa- thologist who worked at a city hospital, his mother didn’t work, and they rented a nice...more
On September 12, the IRS reminded plan sponsors to review and comply with IRS Notice 2024-02 (the “Notice”), which extended and consolidated deadlines for employers and others sponsoring 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and other...more
When I was at law school, I was the editor-in-chief of the law school’s newsmagazine. My rise to the top probably had a lot to do with the free time I had by not making law review or any other of the law journals. I failed to...more
Whether it’s a partner in your business or a business partnership with another plan provider, it needs to be the right fit. I worked for two third-party administrators (TPAs) where partnership mismatches helped doom them....more
When working with other plan providers, trust is the biggest underpinning. Without it, you have nothing else. If you can’t trust the plan provider you’re working with, then why are you in business with them?...more
When you switch third-party administrators (TPAs), there is a lot of work involved. I don’t recommend switching TPAs if you don’t have to, but there are times you need to. The problem is that there are TPAs out there that...more
Call me crazy, but I think less is more. If you have a 401(k) plan and another plan (usually a defined benefit or cash balance plan), there may be reasons why you would want multiple third-party administrators (TPAs)....more
If I want to get a new doctor or an attorney, I certainly want to know their background. Same with a financial advisor, I don’t want the next Bernie Madoff. When you hire a professional, you want to know their credentials....more
Ideas To Increase 401(k) Event Attendance - Getting 401(k) plan sponsors and plan providers to attend in-person live events were difficult before COVID. Since COVID, it’s been close to impossible to get decent attendance...more
When you start fixing up the house and replacing appliances or items like the front door or the roof you realize that the replacements are more energy efficient. Replacing that old refrigerator or that washing machine can...more
Unfiltered 401(k) Views On What Is Going On Now - For years, dating back to college and law school, I had an unfiltered view of things. I have strong opinions and the opinions are based on my experiences. The problem,...more
When it comes to being a retirement plan provider, you should understand that it’s a relationship-driven business and your employees can be a positive outlet for that. One way for them to be a positive outlet is for you to...more
When you look at the problems of retirement plans, one that gets short shrift is coverage and that is one of the pillars of qualified plans needed to be fulfilled in order to be a qualified plan...more
401(k) Errors That Should Require A Plan Provider Change - Change for the sake of change is a bad idea, you need a reason for it. There are certain plan errors when 401(k) plan sponsors should consider change and that...more
I always say one of the beauties of retirement plans is not one is alike. They are like snowflakes because every plan sponsor has a different retirement plan need based on the size of their business, profits, and demographics...more
Organization Ideas For 401(k) Plan Sponsors To Limit Liability Organization tools always pop up for sale after New Year’s because a lot of people want to try to keep their resolutions. My local Costco always trots out the...more
Unless you delegate a fiduciary function to a plan fiduciary such as an ERISA 3(16) and 3(38)fiduciary, it’s your call on things. When a third-party administrator (TPA) decides on their own that you will refund deferrals...more
When it comes to my law practice, I have an open phone call policy. I entertain phone calls from financial advisors and TPAs around the country and try to help them by answering questions regarding their current clients or...more
Recent Changes That Plan Providers May Not Like - On Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ed Asner was a guest star, playing an elderly man who wanted to change his will. Based on a recommendation by Larry David, Ed’s character visited the...more