Pension Protection Act Blog

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a decision in LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Assoc. Inc., No. 06-856 (Feb. 20, 2008). (Hat tip to SCOTUSblog.)
Numerous articles will be written in the next couple of days and months about the meaning and impact of LaRue. More immediate concerns raised by LaRue are […]

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With March 15th, 2008, falling on a Saturday, there has been an ongoing debate over whether March 15th is the applicable deadline, or whether the deadline automatically is extended to Monday, March 17th.
In the latest edition of Retirement News for Employers, Vol. 4, Winter 2008, released last Friday, February 15, 2008, by the IRS, the […]

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David McCann of CFO magazine is reporting that IBM has proposed a new type of 401(k) plan designed to reimburse employees’ tuition expenses for higher education. Employees become eligible to participate after five years of service. Participants are then permitted to defer up to $1,000 each year into an interest bearing account. […]

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The U.S. Supreme Court today heard oral argument in LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Assoc. At the heart of it, this case is about a failure to follow investment instructions, and a participant seeking the lost profits which he may have received if his investment instructions were followed.
The transcript of the argument, available here, […]

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Yesterday, the IRS released Proposed Regulations on Automatic Contribution Arrangements. They contain some answers on the new Qualified Automatic Contribution Arrangement (QACA), created last year by Section 902 of the Pension Protection Act.
Does a QACA satisfy the 401(k)(13) safe harbor?
Yes. For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2008, a cash or […]

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The proposed regulations for automatic enrollment arrangements are out, and the clock is ticking.
For calendar year plans implementing a qualified automatic contribution arrangement (QACA) or an eligible automatic contribution arrangement (EACA) beginning on January 1, 2008, the time period for providing employees with notice of the QACA or EACA ends on December 1, […]

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One of the big automatic enrollment questions was answered today with the release of the Final Regulations on Default Investment Alternatives Under Participant Directed Individual Account Plans. Plans have been permitted to automatically enroll employees in 401(k) plans for years. Before the Pension Protection Act, employers could include a provision in their 401(k) […]

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Friday has been declared 401(k) Day by the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America (PSCA).
What is 401(k) Day? PSCA has made it an annual day to celebrate the importance of employer-sponsored 401(k) and profit sharing plans. Amid the rush of safe harbor notices, Form 5500 filings, and end of the year restatements […]

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In a Special Edition of Employee Plan News, dated August 2007 and released by the IRS on August 28, 2007, the IRS may have resolved at least some of the controversy over cross-testing plan allocations by placing individuals in their own classification group. The Special Edition states that the Retirement Plans FAQ on Pre-Approved […]

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