Category Archives: Retirement Plans

One of the biggest misconceptions in retirement plan administration is believing that a small mistake will stay small. It rarely does. A payroll employee accidentally misses one participant’s salary deferral. Someone figures they’ll catch it next pay period. Six months … Continue reading →

After nearly three decades working with retirement plans, I’ve noticed something. The plan sponsors who sleep best at night aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest companies, the most sophisticated plans, or the highest-paid advisors. They’re the ones who consistently … Continue reading →

Sometimes the best career lessons don’t come from a mentor. They come from someone you promise yourself you’ll never become. Early in my career, I worked for a retirement plan firm where employee turnover was so frequent that I joked … Continue reading →

There’s bipartisan legislation making its way through Congress that would move the Form 5500 deadline for calendar-year plans from July 31 to October 15, while also eliminating the need for most plans to file Form 5558 extensions and allowing electronic … Continue reading →

I’ve spent nearly three decades working with retirement plans, and one thing has become painfully obvious. Almost every operational failure starts with one word: Assume. Someone assumed payroll was withholding correctly. Someone assumed another employee sent the notice. Someone assumed … Continue reading →

Every plan provider has heard it. “Your fees are too high.” Maybe they are. Maybe they aren’t. But when a prospect immediately focuses on price, it’s often because nobody has explained the real cost of making a bad decision. The … Continue reading →

Ask most retirement plan providers why they lost a client and you’ll often hear the same answer: “We were undercut on fees.” While price certainly plays a role, I don’t think it’s the reason most relationships end. More often than … Continue reading →

Plan sponsors spend a surprising amount of time preparing participant communications. Notices are drafted, emails are reviewed, attachments are added, and everything is sent on schedule. Then… nothing. Employees delete the email without opening it, promise themselves they’ll read it … Continue reading →

One of the biggest misconceptions among plan sponsors is that hiring a recordkeeper means someone else is now responsible for everything. It doesn’t work that way. A recordkeeper can process payroll files, maintain participant accounts, generate notices, and provide reports. … Continue reading →

One of the first lessons I learned practicing ERISA law is that memories fade, people leave, and years later everyone swears something happened—until they’re asked to prove it. That’s when documentation becomes priceless. I’ve heard plan sponsors tell me they … Continue reading →