Blog
If you are involved in the administration of your company’s 401k, this blog is meant for you. We want to give you insight, trends, and a little humor. Our hope that you use the information here to help you gain insight to better run your company’s retirement plan. Keep checking in.
Setting Goals Is Part of Financial Planning
Is It Time To Set That Goal?Have you been to the gym in January? It's always packed. But, if you give it a few weeks, the gym is generally just as empty as it was in December. Why is that? In our society, goals, accomplishments, and...
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I’m Managing My Company’s 401k Plan: Where Do I Start?
Fear of the UnknownWhen I was a kid driving through mountain passes scared me half to death. I remember skipping out on a few opportunities to go camping with friends or family because I was terrified of driving near the edge. Because...
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How Long Will It Take for My Money To Double?
How long will it take my money to double? That is a great question. The market generally gives no guaranteed return, but you can estimate how long it takes for your money to double at a given rate of return. There are two ways to do...
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Who Gets a Slice from 401(k) Fees? Understanding the 408(b)(2) Fee Disclosure
I'm Paying for What? A few years ago, I had a medical consultation and found several surprises on the bill. There were services I didn't know I was receiving or getting charged for. You may have had a similar experience or have heard...
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Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President
In February, the White House released its 563-page book, “2018 Economic Report of the President.”¹ If you haven’t yet made time to peruse this weighty tome, don’t beat yourself up. Most people don’t...
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How Financial Professionals Are Compensated
The fees that investors pay to financial professionals for their advice and services come in two basic forms: transaction fees and ongoing fees. While professionals may differ in what fees they charge, they are required to fully...
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The Anatomy of an Index
Did you know that more than $9.9 trillion in assets are benchmarked to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Index, including $3.4 trillion in index assets?1,2 The S&P 500 is ubiquitous – we see it on the news, read about it...
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Key Points from the SECURE Act in 5 Minutes
In December, the SECURE Act or Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, was signed into law. This bill brings about some of the biggest changes in short-term retirement policy history and is aimed at strengthening...
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A Decision Not Made Is Still a Decision
Whether through inertia or trepidation, investors who put off important investment decisions might consider the admonition offered by motivational speaker Brian Tracy, “Almost any decision is better than no decision at all...
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Financial Wellness: Bringing the Focus Beyond the 401k
Are your benefits unique? Most companies I come across try to do one of two things: be a cost leader or offer unique value. When I ask companies about why someone should use them, I get all kinds of answers as to how their product or...
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401(k) Plans
Intro to the 401(k) People confuse 401(k) plans with other retirement plans. Some characteristics make 401(k)s unique, powerful employee benefits. 401(k)s are not for every company. Like so many other aspects of life- the added...
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Four Really Good Reasons to Invest
Four Really Good Reasons to Invest Forty-six percent of Americans do not own any stocks or stock-related investments, such as mutual funds, according to a recent Gallup poll.¹ Individuals may cite different reasons for not...
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What is a SIMPLE IRA?
Intro to the SIMPLE IRA A SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is a type of retirement plan companies can adopt if they have 100 or fewer employees. Despite the long name, as the...
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The Impact Health has on Wealth
Albert Einstein is given credit for coining the phrase, “Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it; he who doesn’t pays it.” If compounding interest is the 8th wonder,...
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Inflation - Back to the Future
Inflation sometimes seems like one of those afflictions of an era long since passed into the history books. While it’s true that double-digit inflation has been absent for the last 30 years or more, you may remember the high...
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What Keeps Plan Sponsors Up at Night?
Real Worries Managing a 401k plan brings with it added responsibilities and concerns. Companies don't generally provide formal training with the assignment. Many plan sponsors and administrators don't understand the importance of their...
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MUTUAL FUNDS VS. ETFS
MUTUAL FUNDS VS. ETFS The growth of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has been explosive. In 1998, there were only 29; at the end of 2018, there were over 1,900 investing in a wide range of stocks, bonds, and other securities and...
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What is My Advisor Getting Paid to Do?
What is My Advisor Getting Paid to Do? Every plan sponsor should be asking themselves this question periodically. You wouldn't believe how often people ask, "What exactly is my advisor getting paid to do?" The answer depends on the...
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How Does Your Retirement Compare to the Average American?
Here in America, it seems easier to talk about seemingly more taboo topics than money. Because we are so protective about our finances, its little wonder retirement planning seems so mysterious to some people.
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Don't Let Your 401k Plan Silently Erode Participant Savings
Have you ever had to get your car repaired? Who hasn't? The worst part about getting a car repair done is sitting in the waiting room waiting to hear the verdict...
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What Should Plan Fiduciaries Know About the CARES Act?
So Much Retirement Plan Legislation The last 6 months have been full of legislation that impacts retirement plans and funds. At the end of 2019, the SECURE act was passed. On March 27th of this year, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and...
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Why Starting a 401k Plan Just Got Easier for Small Businesses
Time for Some Upgrades Some changes don’t feel like upgrades, like adding Jar Jar Binks to the Star Wars saga – my opinion. Then there are those things that don’t change the fundamentals of a product, but still make a...
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How Being a 401k Fiduciary is Like Being a Parent and How it's Not
Kids... I have 2 kids, a little boy and girl. They have complete trust in me. When they woke up this morning, they didn't have to wonder if me or my wife were going to take care of them today. They didn't have to worry about having...
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Making Sense of Important 401k Administrion Documents
IRS Determination Letter An IRS Determination Letter is a document from the IRS that indicates the 401k plan is in line with the specific legal requirements to be a qualified retirement plan, according to tax code. Once received, the...
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Plan Sponsor Housekeeping
Housekeeping Congratulations! 2019 is in the rear-view mirror and you are on to bigger and better things.While others may have a https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-sponsor/a-plan-sponsors-responsibilities
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