Financial wellness is a topic receiving a greater amount of attention in recent years, but many plan sponsors are unaware of what that really means for their employees. Financial wellness is vital to ensuring employees feel secure about their financial well-being, helping them meet current, future and ongoing financial obligations. Additionally, financial wellness programs help maximize participation in the company’s retirement plan. While there proves to be many benefits by offering a financial wellness program, it is not yet universal. If it isn’t already, establishing a comprehensive financial wellness program should be a priority for plan sponsors. We review five key components to making your wellness program effective.
IRS Finalizes Hardship Distribution Regulations
Many employer-sponsored retirement accounts offered its plan participants under financial turmoil access to their 401(k) or 403(b) retirement funds through a process known as a hardship withdrawal. Historically, the need has been determined based on all relevant facts and circumstances. However, on September 23rd, just 10 months after releasing proposed regulations, the IRS released its final hardship distribution regulations making retirement plan assets more accessible to those experiencing financial hardship. We explore these changes and what they mean for plan sponsors and their participants.
Is Your Retirement Plan Advisor Providing the Best Services?
Outsourcing retirement plan management duties to a retirement advisor can just be good business—not only are these advisors up-to-speed on the most current regulations governing retirement plan offerings and industry best practices, but they can also free up a plan sponsor’s time to focus on critical aspects of company operation. However, it’s important to evaluate these advisors at the outset (and regularly during their administration of the plan) to ensure that you’re receiving the best possible services. How can you tell if your advisor is doing a good job? Below are a few key attributes that describe a good retirement plan advisor.