Almost every employer-sponsored retirement plan (whether it’s a pension plan or a 401(k) plan) must satisfy certain nondiscrimination tests set forth in the internal revenue code. The IRS mandates these tests to ensure that if an employer is getting retirement plan tax deductions, then the plan should be designed so that benefits are not skewed […]Read More… from Passing the §401(a)(26) “meaningful benefit” test
A full valuation (measurement) of GASB 45 liabilities is required every 2 to 3 years, depending on the size of the employer. In the years when actual measurements are performed, the GASB 45 results (ARC, Annual OPEB Cost, and Net OPEB Obligation) are fairly straightforward to calculate. However, there is often confusion about what to […]Read More… from Off-Year GASB 45 Accounting
Many small cities and governmental entities (less than 100 employees) are still figuring out their GASB 45 liability or whether they even have a liability. GASB’s Alternative Measurement Method (AMM) is a simplified alternative to performing a full actuarial valuation, but even the AMM has a cost that some very small entities would prefer to […]Read More… from An Alternative to the GASB 45 AMM
Under GASB 45 accounting rules, there are many technical terms. One of these is the Annual Required Contribution (ARC). I often get questions from clients regarding the “meaning” of the ARC, so I thought that I’d give a quick and simplified explanation. Background: GASB 45 rules create a method for public employers to accrue OPEB […]Read More… from GASB 45 – What’s the meaning of ARC?
GASB 45 covers a variety of OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits) such as retiree medical, dental, and vision benefits. Although retiree medical insurance gets most of the attention and generally has some of the largest liabilities, dental coverage has the potential to create a significant liability too. Just as with retiree medical benefits, retiree dental […]Read More… from GASB 45 Dental Benefits
I have been saying to my colleagues for the past couple of years that the backlash against public employee pensions was on the horizon. Recent newspaper articles and pension studies confirm that the storm is finally here. With many private employees seeing their retirement savings halved during the recession and their employer-sponsored retirement plans cut […]Read More… from Public Pension Backlash
Yet another article on the growing popularity of cash balance plans was featured on the front page of Yahoo! finance this morning. It’s a bit of a generic overview, but gets the point across. One thing to note: the article states that annual interest crediting rates in these plans are guaranteed rates such as 4%, […]Read More… from More cash balance plan press coverage
During the recent economic recession, many pension plan sponsors have either been forced to shut facilities/plants or have experienced rounds of layoffs which reduced the number of active participants in the pension plan. As many pension plan sponsors know, a significant drop in the number of active participants can trigger a PBGC “reportable event.” This […]Read More… from Surprise, You’ve Got a PBGC Reportable Event
