On September 21, 2004, ASPPA President Bruce L. Ashton, Esq., APM, testified before the ERISA Advisory Council on Fee and Related Disclosures to Participants. In his testimony, Ashton urged that full and fair disclosure be provided to plan participants to enable them to make informed investment decisions and to more effectively manage their retirement assets. Ashton stated that ASPPA recommends that to enable plan participants to make a fully informed investment decision, disclosure of those fees and expenses charged to their individual accounts should be provided in a meaningful and understandable format. Testimony

On August 3, 2004, Janice M. Wegesin, CPC, presented testimony on behalf of ASPPA before the ERISA Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans Working Group on "Health and Welfare Form 5500 Requirements." In her testimony, she stated "[t]he first problem an employer faces with welfare benefit plans is that it does not know whether a given benefit program constitutes an ERISA plan and, in many cases, may not even know enough to ask that question. As a result, Form 5500 filings are not prepared when needed." testimony