In 2013, an American Express survey indicated that 60% of small business owners were not saving sufficiently for retirement. An additional 13% said they were worried about being able to maintain their lifestyle after retiring. As worrisome as this is, the situation for employees is even worse. In a recent study by the Schwartz Center […]

Have you heard about all the lawsuits targeting employer-sponsored retirement plans lately? It seems like every week there is a new claim on yet another plan sponsor. In about an hour, I was able to find 20 separate cases with damage claims totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So, what’s the deal with […]

Since inception, BenefitGuard’s mission has been to help solve America’s retirement problem. We’ve attempted to do this by creating a high-service, low-cost, and conflict-free 401(k) offering for businesses of all sizes. While we have seen great success with this solution, the retirement problem goes beyond 401(k)s and investment vehicles. Put simply, Americans aren’t saving nearly […]

[A version of this article first appeared on FiduciaryNews.com. Once logged in to that site, you can view it here.]   Whether you are a plan sponsor or the participant who is saving for retirement, you are likely to have a question or two when it comes to 401(k) plans. Here are a few of […]

The 401(k) industry is complex. With a mixture of rules and regulations that are written and enforced by more than one government organization, there are a plethora of complications that can arise. Every year, 401(k) plans around the country are subject to government non-discrimination and coverage testing. Because the U.S. Government offers substantial tax benefits […]

We all know that it’s important to create and maintain a solid company culture by offering benefits to employees and future hires. Deciding to implement a 401(k) plan into the company’s benefits package is a great place to start, but many company owners and executives initially shy away from establishing a 401(k) plan because they […]

401(k) plans can be complex due to the number of service providers required to make a plan run. This typically includes your Recordkeeper, TPA, Custodian, Advisor, Broker, Auditor, and Plan Fiduciaries.  After outlining the roles of these service providers in a previous article, we had a few clients request a breakdown more specifically on plan […]

Before I made the transition to the 401(k) and retirement industry, I worked as a dental assistant during my first year of college. While trying to figure out which career path to take, I would often sit down with the dentist and tirelessly ask him questions about his career choice and experience. We often discussed […]

In the 401(k) marketplace, you can occasionally find separate companies that will sign onto your 401(k) plan in the role of 3(38) Investment manager, and even 3(16) Plan Administrator. However, when sponsors engage these separate companies, their combined plan services often become fragmented and expensive. BenefitGuard is the only provider in the market that appoints […]

When referring to 401(k) audits, most plan sponsors understand the basic concepts of the annual audit attached to the IRS Form 5500 for plans greater than 100 participants. The auditor is onsite for a couple of weeks and gathers the needed information pertaining to the financials of the plan. But what happens when the government […]