Author: Maria T. Hurd, CPA
IN or AND…What a difference a word makes
August 16, 2012
In the world of qualified plans, an employee must be given credit for a ‘year of service’ for any ‘computation period’ […]
A Deadline and a Lifeline
August 02, 2012
Most people are familiar with the significance of April 15th as the day we all pay our fair share to Uncle Sam […]
But I hired you to audit THIS year…
June 28, 2012
Following in his father’s footsteps, Art Vandelay has worked hard to expand the reach of his pizza chain across the whole state of Delaware…
Limited Scope Audits: Worthless or Worthwhile?
June 21, 2012
Limited scope audits exclude investment values from the scope of the audit if the assets are held at a regulated financial institution such as…
Drexel University – The Corporate Retirement Plan Industry – Regulatory Changes and Fiduciary Best Practices
April 03, 2012
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA Since the Department of Labor’s final 408(b)(2) and 404(a)(5) fee disclosure regulations were issued, industry experts across all fields have been wanting to know what will be the extent of the auditors’ duty to obtain verification for each plan’s compliance with these new rules. On Thursday, April 12, 2012, … Continued
Service Organization Control (SOC) Reports Help to Gain Understanding
March 22, 2012
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA Disclaimer: All blog posts are valid as of the date published. As stated in our previous blog It Takes a Village, plan sponsors use many specialized service providers to successfully administer and account for all the financial activity in their plans. Independent third-party specialists can include payroll companies, third … Continued
A CE Event You Won’t Want to Miss
March 15, 2012
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA On Thursday, April 12 2012, Raymond James and Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business will be presenting a continuing education event for professionals involved with corporate retirement plans. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor will make a keynote presentation on the final 408(b)(2) and 404(a)(5) fee disclosure regulations and … Continued
Make Sure Your Employee Benefit Plan Audit Makes the Grade
March 08, 2012
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA As published in the CPA Success article titled Employee Benefit Plan Audits Still Don’t Make the Grade, the Department of Labor’s Chief Accountant Ian Dingwall has stated that plan audits continue to show a 30 percent deficiency rate. Specifically, he enumerated problems including lack of documentation, inadequate testing of hard-to-value … Continued
…about your deductibility question: the answer is NO!
February 16, 2012
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA During tax season, questions about the deductibility of company contributions come up year after year, most of which involve a plan sponsor’s wish to deduct a company contribution to their retirement plan. Despite their wishful thoughts, many times the answer is NO. In some cases, however, a NO answer … Continued
It Takes a Village…
February 02, 2012
Posted by Maria T. Hurd, CPA Much like the African proverb that has been in existence for centuries: “It takes a village to raise a child”, the success of a retirement plan’s administration cannot be attributed to a single person or company. Often, third party administrators tell their clients that they will give the auditors … Continued