Pension Protection Act Blog

I always find a stack of “stuff” on my desk after a long weekend. Like everyone, I like free stuff, high tech stuff, and stuff that is designed for pension geeks. Here is a quick rundown of some of the more interesting stuff I found on my desk this morning:

Tuesday, at 2pm ET, the IRS is streaming another free live webcast as part of their popular Tax Talk Today series. Tomorrow’s edition is an hour about Retirement Plan Pitfalls. The official program content states:

Don’t wait until the IRS knocks on your client’s doors to help them find, fix and avoid common retirement plan mistakes. Attend this program where you will learn how to use the IRS Fix-It Guides to identify and correct frequently encountered errors the IRS sees in retirement plans. In addition, the IRS will provide tips you can share with your clients on how these mistakes can be avoided in the future. Use IRS Fix-it Guides to keep your clients out of trouble.

The IRS creating programs for their own web channel is pretty interesting stuff, and I like a lot of the speakers, so I will probably attend, especially because it is free. The speakers include Monika Templeman, Director of IRS Employee Plans Examinations, and Avaneesh Bhagat, Program Coordinator for IRS Employee Plans Voluntary Compliance. I am hopeful that the upcoming changes to EPCRS will be discussed. The IRS has also created and posted several free podcasts on this website. One of the interesting items is that the programs and podcasts are free, with CE credit available for purchase at the rate of $20 per CE hour.

The Groom Law Group has invited me to the 13th Annual Employee Benefits Seminar on October 14, 2008 in D.C. I am already planning on being in D.C. on October 7, 2008, to attend oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Plan Admin. for DuPont Savings, No. 07-636, and staying for this conference is very possible. The issue before the Supreme Court in Kennedy is:

Was the Fifth Circuit correct in concluding that ERISA’s Qualified Domestic Relations Order provision, 29 U.S.C. section 1056(d)(3)(B)(i), is the only valid way a divorcing spouse can waive her right to receive her ex-husband’s pension benefits under ERISA?

I previously blogged about Kennedy here, and am working on a book about retirement plans and divorce, including QDROs, so the oral argument in Kennedy is doubly fascinating. I believe that Chief Justice Roberts has his own views about ERISA, and Kennedy should be another link in that chain.

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