Newsletters and Bulletins
What to know about Plan Hardship Withdrawal Rules
Times can get tough for people. With the onset of Hurricane Harvey having decimated parts of the Gulf Coast and Hurricane Irma following its destructive lead, we are reminded that at any point we may find ourselves in hardship. Companies make layoffs, natural disasters occur, emergencies… well, emerge. With nowhere else to turn, some will look to their 401k for their own disaster relief. A withdrawal in the form of a “hardship distribution” is one of the tools that participants may use in this situation.
Pro-Rata Participant Fees and Fee Transparency: A Recordkeeper’s Conundrum
What does it mean when fees are assessed “pro-rata”? The pro-rata method of assessing a fee is when the total fee amount is deducted proportionally from participant accounts. In terms of fee fairness, pro-rata fees will ensure that all participant fees are reasonable based on their account balance. In terms of fee clarity, a participant will never be able to verify or calculate their pro-rata fee, since they are only aware of their individual account balance and not the balances of other participants.
RPG Consultants (Recordkeeper & TPA) is Certified to Industry Best Practices
CEFEX, Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, LLC, has certified RPG Consultants of Valley Stream, NY as adhering to the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) Standard of Practice for Retirement Plan Service Providers. RPG Consultants (RPG) was among the first firms in the United States to successfully complete the independent certification process for recordkeepers, and has now earned the certification for the 6th consecutive year.
What do RPG Consultants, Fidelity Investments and Empower Retirement Have in Common?
RPG Consultants was invited to participate in the PLANSPONSOR magazine 2017 DC Recordkeeping survey along with Fidelity, Empower, Vanguard and other top recordkeepers in the industry. We are proud to say that in over 30 years of service and company growth, we continue to maintain the small-business mentality and personal client relationships as we rank with multi-billion dollar corporations. We are recognized in our industry for our unparalleled service, personalized solutions, client retention and success.
Participant Loans: Benefit or Detriment?
For many years, plan sponsors have wrestled with the decision to offer loans to their plan participants. Some consider them to be a benefit and even promote them as a legal way to use tax free money while participating in the plan. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 87% of plan participants can take a loan against their retirement account. Of those employees with access to take a loan, about one-fifth borrow against the retirement account. Come retirement, what are the effects of loans taken from pension funds on an employee’s account?
A New Era for Socially Responsible Investing and Fiduciary Obligations
Socially responsible investing (SRI) is a rapidly growing trend in markets around the world. This sustainable, responsible, impact investing model affords companies the opportunity to ensure that their investments align with their mission and values and also facilitate the global movement towards an environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economy. SRI models involve ESG (environmental, social and governance) integration, investment screening, shareholder advocacy, sustainably themed investments and impact investing.
Why Should my 401(k) Plan Use a Calendar Plan Year?
Defined contribution plans generally follow calendar years, which prevents compliance and administration complications that arise from an off-calendar plan year. Off-calendar plan years are typically structured to follow the fiscal year, with the rationale that the profit sharing contributions would be tied to fiscal year performance. This logic is somewhat flawed, since you are effectively giving the same profit sharing contribution at whatever point you decide to make the contribution, but you are increasing the administrative costs and risk of errors (administration or compliance) in running the off-calendar plan year.
Bundled vs. Unbundled 401k Plans and the RPG Co-Bundled 401k Model
The age-old debate of using a bundled vs unbundled model for a 401k plan has troubled plan sponsors for years. Try a Google search for “Bundled vs. Unbundled 401k“. Every provider and 401k resource seems to list the pros and cons of each model and then either promote their strategy or leave the plan sponsor with all the pros and cons, still wondering which service model is best for their 401k plan.
What does it mean to be CEFEX-certified?
RPG Consultants is proud to be a CEFEX-Certified Recordkeeper and Third Party Administrator (TPA). We are one of less than 13 firms in the country to hold the certification for both TPA and Recordkeeping services. The CEFEX accreditation certifies that we conform generally to the Standard of Practice for Retirement Plan Service Providers, as defined by the American Society for Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) and CEFEX (referred to as the Standard).
The Integrity of a 401k Plan Provider
The Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary rule, delayed from the original April 10, 2017 deadline, expands the ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) definition of “investment advice fiduciary” so that every financial professional working with retirement plans would be held accountable as a fiduciary of the plan.
ERISA Fidelity Bond vs. Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Benefit Communications in an Electronic World
With communication mediums like email, text, and IM’s becoming the standard in business industries worldwide, plan sponsors are becoming increasingly interested in abandoning paper processes for a more electronic means of communication with plan participants and beneficiaries. Since e-delivery is not an “all or nothing” prospect, this new approach presents itself as an accessible and easily implemented process with many advantages.
