401(k) Contribution Limits: A Walk Down Memory Lane
Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k) was added to the tax law as part of President Jimmy Carter’s Revenue Act of 1978.
Proposed Statement of Auditing Standards: Redesigning the Audit Reporting Model for ERISA Plan Financial Statements
The Auditing Standards Board created a special task force in 2015 to consider a proposal to improve the quality of employee benefit plan audits by strengthening the EBP auditors’ report.
Hardship Distributions: Source Documents vs. Documentation of Self-Certification by Participants
“The buck stops here” is a phrase that was popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk in the Oval Office.
Plan Adviser Magazine: Avoidance Strategies
I had the honor of being selected as a resource for an article “Avoidance Strategies: How advisers can help sponsors steer clear of common plan errors” in the May/June issue of Plan Adviser magazine,
Self-Audits
Let’s face it, humans make mistakes. John Wooden said “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.” In my blog titled “Internal Controls in a Retirement Plan,” I pointed out the importance of controls at the plan sponsor and its service providers to help prevent mistakes in plan administration, help prevent fraud within the plan…
What the IRS can Learn from Amelia Bedelia: The IRS Forfeits to Common Sense when Applying Forfeited Funds to Safe Harbor Contributions
Some of my most memorable childhood stories were those of Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish.
The Softer Side of the IRS: Memorandum on Calculating the Maximum Participant Loan Amount
Some people believe you can never get enough of a good thing.
WEBINAR: Mastering Form 5500 Schedule: Avoiding Audit Triggers
A member of our Employee Benefit Plan Audit Team, Stacey I. Snyder, CPA, will be speaking in an upcoming Strafford live webinar, “Mastering Form 5500 Schedule: Avoiding Audit Triggers” scheduled for Thursday, May 18, 1:00pm-2:50pm EDT.
The DOL’s Assessment on the Quality of Financial Statement Audits: The Aftermath
It has been almost two years since the DOL released the results of its study of the quality of work performed by independent qualified public accountants (IQPAs).
Participant Loan Refinancing
Administrative simplicity or empathy for participants in need? Allowing more than one participant loan in a retirement plan is not a black and white determination.