The SECURE Act is Now Law

Although U.S. stock indexes are hovering at or near all-time highs, many American workers still aren’t financially secure enough to retire. In response, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act focuses on promoting lifetime income options like annuities within a 401(k) and incentivizing businesses to expand their retirement offerings like auto enrollment. The Act also liberalizes the existence of Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs) for plan sponsors to pool their investments and plan administration usually at a cost savings.

This Act officially became law in December 2019, marking one of the most comprehensive retirement reform packages employers have seen in years. What should plan sponsors and participants know about these changes?

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.

Avoid These Common Plan Sponsor Mistakes

Once you’ve done the tough work of creating and implementing a retirement plan for your organization, you might assume that it’ll be smooth sailing from this point on. But the ongoing management of a well-functioning retirement plan can be far more challenging than it may seem. With so many different moving parts, it’s not unusual for things to fall through the cracks, even for the most meticulous plan sponsors. Learn more about some of the most common plan sponsor mistakes and how to avoid them.

How the SECURE Act Can Affect Your Retirement Plan

With around 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day, retirement reform has taken a front seat in the U.S. legislature. In late May 2019, the U.S. House passed (by a near-unanimous vote) the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019, which seeks to overhaul retirement planning the same way the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 overhauled U.S. tax laws.

The SECURE Act’s changes can impact plan sponsors of all types and sizes. Learn more about what’s in this Act and how plan sponsors can (and should) prepare for its seemingly likely passage.

The Basics of Retirement Plan Hardship Distributions and Recent IRS Changes

Retirement plans can offer a few options regarding early access to saved funds. Under many employer-sponsored retirement accounts, plan participants may have been offered two early distribution options. One was under a hardship qualification and the other, if allowed, was a loan against the amounts they had vested in the plan. It’s important to understand what hardship distributions and loans are and how the funds may be used.