Newsletters and Bulletins
RPG Consultants Earns CEFEX Certification for the 14th Consecutive Year
RPG Consultants proudly marks 14 consecutive years of certification from CEFEX, the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, LLC. This achievement underscores RPG Consultants’ steadfast commitment to upholding superior standards in fiduciary care and its dedication to...
Cost of Living Adjustments for 2026
The IRS announced Cost of Living Adjustments affecting certain dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related limitations for 2026 in Notice 2025-67. Contribution and benefit increases are intended to allow participant contributions and benefits to...
State Mandated Retirement Plan vs. Customized Retirement Plan: What’s Right for Your Business?
Several states across the U.S. have implemented mandated retirement savings programs that provide a standardized solution for businesses required to offer a plan but not sponsoring one themselves. These state programs generally require employers with a certain number...
The Art and Science of Fee Benchmarking
Fee benchmarking is the process of comparing your 401(k) plan costs with the industry average rates. Comparing your 401(k) plan fees to other plans within a similar range is one step that you can take as a fiduciary to ensure that costs associated with the plan are fair and reasonable for the services provided.
The SECURE Act Reminders
With so much discussion surrounding the CARES Act, it is easy to forget that 2019 brought us some of the most significant changes to retirement plan law since the passage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006. This legislation came to us by virtue of The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act that was signed into law on December 20, 2019. While many of the SECURE Act provisions are currently in effect, there are important provisions still to come that plan sponsors should be prepared for in 2021 and beyond.
The CARES ACT Update
2020 has been a difficult year with many unexpected challenges. For companies that sponsor retirement plans, some of these challenges came in the form of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While the CARES Act provided much needed relief to plan sponsors and their participants, the relief also brought new complexity to retirement plan compliance.
Required Year-End Participant Notices
As the end of the year approaches, our to-do lists become longer but our bandwidth becomes condensed. To compound matters, when you sponsor a retirement plan, you know you will be in close contact with your TPA firm about the various year-end notices that must be distributed to plan participants.
Post-PPA (Cycle 3) Plan Document Restatements
Approximately every six years, the IRS requires that pre-approved qualified retirement plans update (or restate) their plan document to reflect recent legislative and regulatory changes. Plan restatements are divided into staggered six-year cycles depending on the type of plan (e.g. defined benefit plans or defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) and 403(b) plans). In Announcement 2020-7, the IRS confirmed that the next restatement cycle for pre-approved defined contribution plans is a 24-month period that began August 1, 2020 and will close on July 31, 2022. This restatement cycle is known as the “Cycle 3” restatement, as it is the third required restatement under the pre-approved retirement plan program.
MEPs/PEPs: Are Companies Overpaying for Economies of Scale?
The retirement industry is gearing up for the implementation and adoption of PEPs (pooled employer plans) which were first introduced in 2020 under the SECURE Act. PEPs are similar to MEPs (multiple employer plans) in concept and structure, but will allow unrelated...
Understanding the CARES Act
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law on Friday, March 27, 2020. Besides the generalized financial relief afforded to individuals, as well as loans and other concessions for businesses, the massive relief bill for those suffering as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic includes many provisions to help participants and employer sponsors of retirement plans.
Upcoming Compliance Deadlines for Calendar-Year Plans
The CARES Act gives the DOL the authority to delay deadlines due to public health emergencies. The dates below are in effect as of the date of this publication.
How the SECURE Act is Changing Retirement
The SECURE Act represents some of the most significant changes to retirement plan law since the passage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, over thirteen years ago. The provisions of the Act are broad ranging and span many different effective dates.
