John Iekel

A coalition of representatives of the IRS, the software industry, tax preparers, payroll and tax financial product processors and state tax administrators are urging the use of multi-factor authentication.  Those representatives—numbering 62 state and private-sector offices as well as the IRS and... READ MORE

Tempus Fugit! DB plans, DC plans and 403(b) annuity arrangements with calendar year plan years—the Form 5500 filing deadline for the 2020 plan year is not far off. In most years that would mean July 31—but not in 2021.   The form must be filed by the end of the seventh month after the end of a... READ MORE

Nondiscrimination testing has many facets. One of them concerns minimum participation. A recent blog entry provides a refresher concerning the minimum participation requirements.  In “Minimum Plan Participation: With or Without You,” consultant firm DWC in its blog looks at those requirements,... READ MORE

Private-sector pension plan finances were relatively static in June, say recent reports; nonetheless, the news for 2021 overall remains good—for now.  Steady in June October Three, which tracks two hypothetical defined benefit plans—one that is invested in a more traditional way and another... READ MORE

Editor’s Note: This is the third of a four-part series concerning a recent ASPPA webinar by Kelsey Mayo, ASEA Director of Regulatory Policy and Partner at Poyner & Spruill LLP, in which she took a look at the basics about plan freezes and terminations in the context of current circumstances and... READ MORE

There are positive steps one can take to be financially prepared for retirement. And there also are actions one can not take that will help as well, points out an industry insider.  “The stakes are high,” writes Employee Fiduciary President and CEO Eric Droblyen in “The Pitfalls that Make... READ MORE

ASPPA Connect will not be appearing on Monday, July 5, as our offices will be closed on that day in observance of Independence Day; however, it will be back to business as usual on Tuesday, July 6.  We all know the momentous thing that was happening in Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4,... READ MORE

Leaving a job is not all that unusual. But for some people, changing employers doesn’t necessarily mean severing all ties with the erstwhile office.  The Secure Retirement Institute reports that since 2019, 26% of investors who changed jobs kept the retirement funds—all of them—in the defined... READ MORE

The IRS on June 24 announced that it is extending for a year temporary relief from the physical presence requirement for participant elections that must be witnessed by a plan representative or a notary public. The relief comes in Notice 2021-40 and is in response to the continuing COVID-19... READ MORE