(b)lines Ask the Experts – Can Tribal Governments Sponsor 403(b)s?
“I was recently hired to work with an entity that is a Native American Tribal Government. Can it sponsor a 403(b) plan?”
Ask the Experts
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Loan Defaults and Non-Military Leaves of Absence
“I read with great interest your Ask the Experts column discussing the effect of a military leave on a ‘cure period’ where a loan repayment was not made...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Why 403(b) Assets Are Generally Not Held in a Trust
“Why are 403(b) plan assets generally not held in a trust?”
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Any Tax Reform Retirement Changes Coming?
“I hear that there is discussion of additional tax reform. Should I be concerned that there will be major retirement plan changes?”
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Types of Automatic Enrollment Arrangements Required for Existing and New Employees
“I am an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) 403(b) plan sponsor that is considering automatic enrollment. Are we required to implement automatic enrollment for all employees, or...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Anything New on 2017 Form 5500?
“Working at a large 403(b) plan sponsor, I have been spending my summer as usual thus far working with our auditors on the 2017 Form 5500 audit report...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Must Participants Take All Other In-Service Distributions Before a Hardship?
“Our 403(b) non-electing church plan offers safe-harbor hardship distributions. The plan also offers in-plan distributions of rollover contribution balances and after-tax contributions.
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Must Plans Adopt Budget Act New Hardship Withdrawal Rules?
“I am aware from a prior Ask the Experts column that the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 made some changes to the hardship distribution rules?
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Direct Rollovers for 403(b) Plans Funded by 403(b)(7) Custodial Accounts
“Is a custodial account 403(b) plan under IRC 403(b)(7) an “eligible retirement plan” for purposes of the direct rollover rules? Would it matter if the custodial 403(b) were...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – How to Match When Deferrals Are Front-Loaded
“I work for a 403(b) plan sponsor, and have recently encountered a situation when a few individuals have front-loaded their elective deferrals to the 403(b) plan, so that...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – When There Are Limits on Participation in 457(b)s
“I used to work for a private tax-exempt organization, but I recently took a job with a public university. In the 457(b) plan that it sponsors, all employees...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Roth Accounts and Participant Post-Retirement Benefits
“I have heard that a Roth 403(b) can actually help participants maximize their after-tax retirement benefit. If this is true, can the Experts assist me with the math...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Are 415(m) Plans Subject to the Premature Distribution Penalty?
“Are 415(m) plans subject to the 10% premature distribution penalty for early distributions from a retirement plan?”
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Dealing With Missing Participants
“I have been reading a lot about missing retirement plan participants lately. If our plan has any, should I be concerned about locating them? If so, what steps...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Can a Church Have Two 403(b)s With Two Different Vendors?
“A church has an existing 403(b) plan with one insurance company providing the investment options.
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Amending Retirement Plans for Final Disability Regulations
“I administer an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) 403(b) retirement plan, and our plan provides for early retirement distributions in the event of disability. I was just...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Implementing a Vesting Schedule When There Wasn’t One
“We currently sponsor an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) 403(b) plan where all contributions are 100% vested. However we are contemplating amending the plan to install a...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – Record Retention for Governmental 403(b) Plans
“It is my understanding that retirement plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) are required to keep documents necessary to determine benefits as long as needed...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – In-Service Distributions for Participants in Phased Retirement Program
“Our university recently instituted a ‘phased retirement’ program for faculty where they can gradually transition into retirement by working a reduced schedule while still retaining university benefits. After...
(b)lines Ask the Experts – What or Who is a ‘Named Fiduciary’?
“Recently the recordkeeper who is taking over administration of our Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) 403(b) plan from a prior recordkeeper asked for the identity of the...