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The Mega Backdoor Roth…Here We Go Again

DWC 07/29/21
Every year, the financial press seems to write about the so-called Backdoor Roth and Mega Backdoor Roth strategies in 401(k) plans, and this year is no exception. (Maybe the Super Duper Mega Backdoor Roth will be next year.) The difference is that the articles usually start to appear closer to the Fall, but they are trending earlier this time ...
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Nondiscriminatory Benefit Amounts - Treat Me Right

DWC 04/8/21
Outside the complex world of qualified plans, the term “nondiscrimination” can take on many different meanings based on many different points of view. Fortunately, in the qualified plan world, the meaning of “nondiscrimination” is well defined, albeit quite complex. Here, the only point of view that matters is that of the IRS.
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Minimum Plan Participation - With or Without You

DWC 03/11/21
Sponsoring a retirement plan can provide significant benefits to a company (and its participants). But with great benefits comes great responsibility…responsibility to follow all of the various regulatory requirements. Since these plans provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax deductions each year, Congress and the various agencies want to ...
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Nondiscrimination Testing Creates Career Opportunites

DWC 02/11/21
Sponsoring a retirement plan can provide significant benefits to a company (and its participants). But with great benefits comes great responsibility…responsibility to follow all of the various regulatory requirements. Since these plans provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax deductions each year, Congress and the various agencies want to ...
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Why Does My Year-End Census Require Ownership and Family Information?

DWC 02/2/21
Facts We’ve compiled our year end census information, and we are now turning out attention to the accompanying questionnaire. I’m being asked for additional information such as ownership percentages, family relationships, ownership in other businesses and more.
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Which Financial Details Do I Have to Include on my Year-End Census?

DWC 01/19/21
Facts Last week, you explained some the demographic data points that get reported on the annual census. Now, I’ve got some questions on the financial information I’ve been asked to provide to my TPA. Some of it seems obvious until I start to dig into it.
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Overtime Is Up and Bonuses Are Down: Will This Year's Irregular Compensation Impact our Retirement Plan?

DWC 12/1/20
Facts We sponsor a 401(k) plan for our employees and provide a company matching contribution to those who defer. Our plan specifies that in calculating that match, we only consider employee base pay and exclude “irregular” forms of pay (specifically bonuses and overtime). This allows us to be more precise when we are building the expected cost of ...
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DWC's Thanksgiving Dinner Prep Playlist

DWC 11/24/20
Facts All year long we've been leaving little rock 'n' roll Easter eggs in our Cash Balance Corner feed. ICYMI: Each post title incorporates one of our favorite songs. And for our 20th century rock music fans, our retirement plan-savvy business owner, Robert Smith's name should ring some bells. (Hint: His music has the cure for what ails you.)
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How Do Furloughed Employees Impact Our Plan at Year-End?

DWC 11/17/20
Facts Like many businesses, we had to furlough some employees earlier this year in response to the coronavirus shutdowns. We’ve been fortunate enough to bring back a few of these employees, but a number still remain in limbo. As we approach year-end, we’ve started wondering how this might affect our 401(k) plan and potential company contributions.
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Are There Plan Design Options We Should Consider as Part of the Mandatory Cycle 3 Plan Document Restatement?

DWC 11/10/20
Facts We’ve been following your recent posts about how making even small changes to certain plan provisions can make managing the plan easier without sacrificing our objectives. Making life easier, while minimizing chances for errors…you’ve really been speaking our language.
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The views expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of any other person or organization. All content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be tax or legal advice.