Bloomberg BNA's Pension & Benefits Blog is a special resource offered by Bloomberg BNA to provide commentary and insight on news and trends reported in our publications: Pension & Benefits Daily, Pension & Benefits Reporter, and the Benefits Practice Resource Center. The authors of the blog are members of our Pension & Benefits Publications Advisory Board.
The ideas presented here are those of individuals, and Bloomberg BNA bears no responsibility for the appropriateness or accuracy of the communications between group members. We reserve the right not to post comments that are abusive or otherwise objectionable.
Communications regarding the Pension & Benefits Blog may be directed to Dana Domone via e-mail to ddomone@bna.com.
February 29, 2012
by Sherwin S. Kaplan
Editor's Note: Last month, advisory board member Sherwin Kaplan and his colleague at Nixon Peabody, Eric Paley, conducted a webinar titled "Managing and Protecting Your Employee Benefit Plans: New Department of Labor Initiatives." As part of that webinar, Sherwin and Eric took questions from the audience, but they were unable to get to every question in the time allocated for the program. Sherwin--a former co-chair of the Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Publications Advisory Board--agreed to answer outstanding questions here on the blog.
February 24, 2012
This week we officially relaunch the Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Blog. Now on a new platform, the blog is more attractive and easier to use, yet it continues to contain insight, commentary, and analysis from the well-respected Bloomberg BNA Pension & Benefits Advisory Board.
by Greta E. Cowart
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro recently announced that the SEC is looking to curb high-frequency trading in stocks, a practice commonly referred to as day trading. The SEC previously attempted to address market timing or rapid trading in mutual funds when it issued amendments to rule 22c-2 in 2006. Rule 22c-2 permitted mutual funds to impose redemption fees for rapid trading or to stop rapid trades. While this rule has been in place for some time, plans may want to consider verifying how the record keepers for their plans and the mutual funds in their participant directed investment account plan are monitoring and complying with the restrictions imposed by the mutual funds and what redemption fees the mutual funds might impose for a violation not stopped by the record keeper or custodian of the funds.
February 3, 2012
by Susan J. Daley
At the end of 2008 we were all scurrying to be sure we had identified and amended all arrangements that involved 409A deferred compensation. That is more than 3 years ago and we may not currently be as focused on identifying 409A arrangements and issues as we were in 2008. Yet it is important to consider 409A issues today.
IRS to Focus on Safe Harbor 401(k) Plans, Other Concerns Highlighted in Questionnaire
IRS Makes Employers’ Internal Controls a Priority in Employee Plan Audits
FASB Issues Exposure Draft on ESOP Disclosures; Comment Period Open
ERISA Advisory Council Roundup
Implications of ASU 2011-4 for sponsors of ESOPs