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How Plan Sponsors Can Provide A 401(k) Match On Employee Student Loan Payments
As of December 2022, the US student loan debt burden stood at approximately $1.76 trillion. Student loan debt can hamper one's ability to save for retirement and achieve financial goals. Traditionally, those with an overwhelming...
Read More2023 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
The new Retirement Plan Contribution Limits are official!The following limits are going up for 2023:Maximum contributions for 401(k), 403(b) and 457 increases to $22,500The annual additions limit for defined contribution plans...
Read More3 Fresh Ideas to Help Boost Your Employees’ Retirement Savings
Innovative and creative approaches to help your company stand out while improving workers’ financial well-beingHow can your company stand out from the competition so you can recruit and retain quality talent? At the same time,...
Read More5 Ways Business Owners Can Optimize Retirement Savings
Key strategies to help employers maximize savings and minimize taxes. As a business owner, you have the ability to pull certain levers to increase retirement savings while controlling tax consequences. By understanding how different...
Read MoreVideo: Advantages of Retirement Plan Auto Features
With certain 401(k) automatic features turned on, you can allow your employees to save more while lightening your administrative workload.Advantages:Increases participation in the retirement planProvides automation of administrative...
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Video: Oil Prices and the Economic Outlook
The opinions voiced are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which strategies or investments may be suitable for you, consult the appropriate...
Read MoreDon't Miss Out: SECURE Act Tax Credits & 401(k) Plan Features
The most comprehensive pension reform in 20 years, the SECURE Act, is a step forward to allow people greater access to retirement plans.The act hopes to expand retirement savings while alleviating administrative headaches. As such, the...
Read MoreVideo: Retirement Savings and Inflation
Employers can learn to adjust to the demands of inflation by working closely with retirement plan advisors. Here are a few good reasons to work with an advisor to understand inflation while still helping your employees prepare for retiremen
Read MoreThe Key to Recruiting & Retaining Top Talent
Total rewards programs are a vital part of workplace culture, employee performance and securing top talent. Learn how program enhancements can help meet the demands of a changing workplace and workforce. Plan sponsors are...
Read MoreHow Could Inflation Impact Corporate Retirement Plans?
Increasing prices may put pressure on employers and delay workers from retiring. Inflation is the increase in the general price of goods and services, which can decrease the purchasing power of American workers. So how does this...
Read MorePros and Cons of Guaranteed Lifetime Income
80% of employers believe employees want guaranteed income products in their retirement plans. However, with new retirement strategies comes opportunities, uncertainty, & risks. Here are some of the pros and cons of in-plan guaranteed income
Read MoreHow to Prepare for a 401(k) Audit
If the DOL comes knocking, is your plan prepared for an audit? Be aware of red flags, how to respond and what documents to have ready.
Read MoreDo ESGs Fit Into Our Retirement Plan?
Employee professional and financial values are evolving, and ESG funds are beginning to represent them in the market. Will they become part of your fiduciary consideration?
Read MoreDiversity, Equity and Inclusion and its Impact on Retirement Plans
How does your retirement plan reflect DEI efforts? Uncover 4 primary areas to review your workplace retirement plan DEI and help ensure your company’s plan is working to positively impact the different cohorts of your employee team.
Read MoreBuilding Turnover Resistant Benefits
How can employers enhance and combine compensation and benefits, the work-life balance, and recognition? Here’s how to work toward building turnover resistant benefits.
Read More9 Steps to 401(k) Success
For people who do not have the time or the financial knowledge, managing your 401(k) plan can be a daunting task. Moreover, if you do not manage it properly, the 401(k) may not help you pursue your retirement goals.
Read MoreThe Tale of Two Economies: Promoting Workplace Benefits in a K-Shaped Economy
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, there are signs of recovery in the U.S. Millions of vaccines have been administered, businesses and offices are reopening and life is starting to look more like it did pre-pandemic. All this...
Read MoreWho’s on Your Retirement Plan Committee?
Retirement plan committees are super important; they set the direction and priorities of the company’s retirement plan. These actions (or inactions) can have a huge impact on how successful employees are at preparing for...
Read MoreGet to Know Your Retirement Plan Committee
If you think you’re alone in managing your 401(k) plan, think again! A Retirement Plan Committee is a dedicated group that manages investment options, oversees retirement plan administration and provides fiduciary oversight and...
Read MoreYou Can’t Talk About That at Work: Tackling Financial FAQs
Talking about money is tricky, especially at work. While it may seem too personal for work and easier to avoid the conversation, the effects can have a lasting effect on a company. More and more forward-thinking employers are starting...
Read MoreAre You Ready for the Second Act of the S.E.C.U.R.E. Act?
Recently, you may have seen headlines regarding the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, also referred to as the second version of the SECURE Act, or SECURE Act 2.0.As the bill moves from the House of Representatives to the Senate, many...
Read More2022 Deadline Nears: Now is the Perfect Time to Review Your Retirement Plan Design
Employers have a window of opportunity before next year to update their retirement plan designs and take advantage of a potential pandemic recovery. Learn about the Cycle 3 restatement deadline and what it means for your retirement plan.
Read MoreVideo: 20 Questions to Benchmark Your Retirement Plan
When was the last time you reviewed your retirement plan - 5 years ago, 3 years ago? If it has been over a year, it may be time to benchmark your retirement plan, but it doesn’t have to be a chore this time around. After your...
Read MoreSEPs, MEPs and PEPs – Discover the best one for your workplace retirement plan
Just ask anyone: Uncle Sam and the retirement industry love acronyms. Another was added in December 2020—PEP—which conveniently rhymes with MEP and SEP. The three plan types are 401(k) cousins[1] meaning they share many...
Read MoreCARES Act Aftermath: What Plan Sponsors Need to Do
Pandemic Relief May Bring Administrative Pain to Plan Administrators The CARES Act gave plan participants quick access to funds during the COVID crisis, although only about 6% of participants took advantage of the options offered.[1]...
Read MoreStop Retirement Savings Setbacks
The global pandemic has had a staggering effect on the economic lives of millions, driving them to actions that could have long-lasting effects on their retirement savings. Facing unprecedented strain caused by the COVID-19 crisis,...
Read MoreVideo: 12 Types of Financial Education Your Employees Need
Each of your employees is unique with their own individual lifestyle path. That said, your employees need guidance to make smarter decisions about their money so they can learn not only how to save today but how to build wealth for the...
Read MoreNormalizing Retirement Savings Habits
Many American workers struggled financially before the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that this crisis could greatly hinder their ability to reach their retirement income goals. Indeed, more than three-quarters...
Read More5 Reasons to Rethink Financial Wellness
Employees are worried about their finances. They worry about them in the evenings, on weekends and during working hours. Plus, with the increased stress caused by the pandemic, it’s no secret your workforce could use some help....
Read MoreVideo: 4 Actions to Help Reduce Retirement Plan Litigation
Your company retirement plan should be a valued benefit, not an open door for lawsuits! How can you reduce your fiduciary liability, protect yourself and your participants? Here are four straightforward actions to take to help reduce...
Read MoreThe Importance of a Retirement Plan Committee & Annual Reviews
Retirement plans are complex and have many moving parts; as such, many plan sponsors create retirement plan committees to help keep them running smoothly. They may be called “investment” or “administrative”...
Read MoreThink Green: Have You Considered 401(k) e-Disclosures?
Anyone who has received stacks of mailed booklets, leaflets or other paper 401(k) disclosure materials might be cheering about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) recent rule that expands employer options for delivering retirement...
Read MoreERISA Update: 5 Big Changes Plan Sponsors Need to Know
If navigating a worldwide pandemic weren’t enough, the world of employee benefits continues to throw curve balls at employers and plan sponsors who must constantly keep up. Below are 5 big changes that retirement plan...
Read MoreVideo: Market Volatility: We’ve been here before. History of Market returns
Market downturns are a part of any investing life cycle. Here’s how to help encourage your participants to stay the course while times are challenging. Speak with an Advisor
Read MoreWhy it’s Important to Review, Refresh, and Revise Retirement Plan Documents
You likely recognize the importance of seeing your doctor for an annual physical to keep your health in tip-top shape, or taking your car in for routine maintenance to keep it running like new. But what about checking the health of...
Read MoreTracking Down Your Missing Participants
If you have terminated participants with balances in your 401(k) plan, some of whom you can’t locate, you’re not alone; missing participants are an industry-wide problem. What is a missing participant? A missing participant...
Read MoreStaying the Course through Volatile Markets
Turbulent times can bring turbulent markets. Many factors cause chaotic swings in the investing world including housing bubbles, political elections, international instability, and as we have seen recently, a global health pandemic....
Read MoreBenchmarking Your 401(k) Funds
Benchmarking is a retirement plan best practice that allows plan sponsors the opportunity to “take a peak under the hood” of their 401(k). The process allows you to compare your plan to similar plans, measuring key metrics...
Read MoreVideo: 3 Fiduciary Action Items During Turbulent Times
COVID-19 has brought many updates, changes, and challenges, and we know the stress this can place on a plan sponsor. While things are constantly changing, one thing remains the same – your status as a fiduciary. Your...
Read MoreWhat is 401(k) Benchmarking and Why Should You Do It?
Simply stated, benchmarking is the process of reviewing and evaluating your company retirement plan. It involves taking a look at what you are offering your employees today and deciding if it’s appropriate or needs some updating....
Read More4 Qualified Plan Tax Advantages for Employers
By choosing to offer your employees a 401(k) plan, you’re sending a powerful message — that you’re invested in their future and committed to helping them work towards financial security in their retirement. As a...
Read MorePros and Cons of Taking Coronavirus-Related Distributions from Retirement Savings
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly shaken our economy to the core. Many businesses have struggled to keep their doors open which has caused unemployment claims to soar. Record unemployment, coupled with a U.S. society that has an...
Read More5 Ways Total Rewards Can Help Recruit Top Talent
A good total rewards program helps you attract and retain the best possible talent for your organization. Add a great workplace culture and environment and you could be on your way to becoming an employer of choice among job-seekers....
Read MoreVideo: American's Drowning in Debt
If your employees are drowning in debt, they could be looking to you, the employer, to throw them a lifeline! Luckily, there are a few ways to help your employees pay down debt so they can save a little bit more. How can you help?...
Read More5 Steps to Create a Financial Wellness Program
In today’s economy, Americans are worried about their finances, and it spills over into every aspect of their lives, even their work. Let’s look at this for a minute and you’ll see why having a financial wellness...
Read MoreThe ROI of Financial Wellness Programs
If you think financial wellness programs are a fad, think again. The industry consensus is that financial wellness not only produces results for employees, but it positively influences company bottom lines. That’s good news for a...
Read MoreFour Strategies to Help Reduce Your Employees’ Financial Stress
Employee financial stress is a hot topic. So much so, that nearly 60% of employees cite finances as their primary stressor. [1] Their financial worries surpass other top stressors, and it’s impacting their job performance....
Read MoreThe SECURE Act: What 401(k) Plan Sponsors Need to Know
On December 23rd 2019, one of the largest changing legislative acts to impact America’s retirement system was signed into effect. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act – or SECURE Act – has...
Read MoreManaging Risk: Do’s and Don’ts for Your Company’s Retirement Plan Committee
Scan the business news and you will likely find an article detailing the latest 401(k) litigation against a company accused of a fiduciary breach. The litigious trend started with corporate behemoths but has been trickling down to...
Read More10 Steps to Help You Handle a DOL Investigation
Hot breath, fear, sweaty palms - You’ve received a request from the Department of Labor (“DOL”) to provide documents about your retirement plan. You are being investigated. Your first thought may be, how did this happen?
Read MoreVideo: 3 Hot Button Issues That Are Major Red Flags for the DOL!
When it comes to compliance, process and documentation are crucial. Be sure to locate and read your plan document, and make sure you are following it! DOL audits can be stressful, complicated and expensive! The best way to handle one...
Read MoreThinking About Changing 401(k) Providers? Five Things You Should Know
Offering a competitive benefits package, including a top-notch 401(k) plan, is essential for your company to recruit and retain top talent. Today’s workers highly value employer-sponsored retirement plans: 88% of them say that an...
Read MoreThe Beacon Group – LPL Financial Earns Specialized Advisor Recognition
Our firm was founded on the principles of integrity, professionalism and exceptional client service. We are also deeply committed to continuous improvement. Our dedication to doing what is best for you, our clients, prompted us to...
Read MoreWhy More Companies are Supplementing 401(K)s With HSAs
A growing number of employers have recognized that a combination of HSAs and 401(k) plans may improve both the company’s overall benefits program and employee well-being. However, too many employers and their employees are...
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