Uncovering and Understanding Hidden Fees in Qualified Retirement Plans


Book Description

In the United States, the level of concern over 401(k) fees is steadily increasing. However, very few employers understand the nature and scope of the retirement plan industry's business model. Not even the Federal Government fully grasps the issue. Understanding how hidden fees came about, and recognizing the specific types and amounts of such fees, will help employers make better decisions regarding 401(k) services. That understanding will help create a more secure retirement for American workers.Notwithstanding the obscure nature of retirement plan economics there is a rigorous way to determine the costs of any such plan.Directors, officers, and executives of plan sponsors have a fiduciary duty to know, manage, and control all of the fees assessed to plan assets.Modern fee structures are the result of mingling fiduciary and non-fiduciary philosophies. Hidden and excessive fees can be corrected by embracing an independent fiduciary only approach toward plan management.There is more at stake than is generally contemplated. Correcting errant business practices in the 401(k) industry is important for participants, plan sponsors, and society as a whole.







Congressional Testimony on Hidden Fees in 401(K) Plans


Book Description

Very few matters of social importance are more complex than the one before you today. This particular issue is not only about uncovering obscure dollars unscrupulously extracted from the account balances of America's workforce, but it is also about correcting the culture that has permitted the problem to thrive in the first place. This written testimony will explain what the culture is, why it exists, how it has evolved over time, how it violates basic economic principles, the integrity of rules of fiduciary prudence, the exclusive benefit rule under ERISA, and other common sense practices that are critical for delivery of expected results from employer defined contribution retirement plans.







The 401(K) Owner’S Manual


Book Description

Employees have entrusted their retirement assets to your care. Are you making the right decisions? Whether you are a business owner or corporate manager responsible for establishing and maintaining a 401(k) program or an engaged participant interested in plan design, this manual provides practical recommendations on creating and maintaining a best-in-class plan. Three retirement plan professionals help you: Understand how 401(k) plans work and the features that drive successful employee retirement outcomes. Make prudent decisions concerning costs, vendor selection, investments, plan design and operations. Govern your plan to limit liability and protect fiduciaries, while enhancing investment opportunities and helping employees achieve financial security. Moreover, if your organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency, foundation, or private school, this manual is applicable in almost all respects to ERISA 403(b) plans. While maintaining a best-in-class 401(k) plan may seem daunting, you can lower costs and provide personalized retirement planning and investment advice to employees all with minimal fiduciary risk. Find out how with The 401(k) Owners Manual.




Stop the 401(k) Rip-off!


Book Description

o How would you spend an extra $4,000 a year for the next twenty-five years?o How much more secure would your retirement be with an extra $100,000 or more?o How much more time could you spend at your family dinner table if you could work an hour less each day?o What would you do in retirement if you could retire three years earlier?Your 401(k) plan is probably one of your most important future sources of financial security. This book makes it easy for you to take the five steps needed to add more than $100,000 to your retirement nest egg without taking more risk or saving more money. This can allow you to improve your lifestyle, increase your benefits, identify the hidden costs and also improve your standing within your company by proactively helping your employer to take needed action.A popular industry speaker and writer, DAVID B. LOEPER is the founder and CEO of Financeware, Inc. in Richmond, VA. He has appeared on CNBC and Bloomberg TV, served on the Investment Advisory Committee of the $30 billion Virginia Retirement System, and was chairman of the Advisory Council for the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). He earned the CIMA? designation (Certified Investment Management Analyst) from Wharton Business School in 1990 in conjunction with IMCA.







Hidden Fees as a Source of Fiduciary Risk in Defined Contribution Plans


Book Description

The Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) requires various disclosures be made to pension plan participants. These disclosures are required to ensure that plan participants are able to make informed decisions regarding their investment choices, for the plan to remain a tax-qualified plan under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), and to provide fiduciary protection. The intricacies of the fees require plan sponsors to be particularly diligent that they understand the fees and are able to clearly disclose them in a manner that allows participants to make appropriate choices. This paper will examine fiduciary and disclosure rules as they apply to IRC 401(k) plans to determine if such rules are able to provide full fee transparency.




EBRI Notes


Book Description




Beyond Economic Efficiency in United States Tax Law


Book Description

A collection of unconventional voices, BEYOND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY IN UNITED STATES TAX LAW articulates alternative approaches to traditional economic analysis that provide a fuller understanding of tax law. Twelve original essays shed new light on classical tax theory by demonstrating that efficiency should not be the sole mechanism for examining the merits of the U.S. tax system. Factors such as race, gender, ethics, fairness, social justice, and political theory, to name a few should play a vital role in the design of the tax system. Reliance upon the myth that markets function solely by reference to efficiency concerns can be expected to result in a poorly functioning tax regime. Covering a broad range of topics including healthcare, housing, theories of justice, wealth transfer taxation, taxation as regulation, international taxation, state and local taxation, retirement security, and the charitable tax exemption this trail-blazing anthology scrutinizes the tax code along many neglected lines of analysis, including fairness, redistribution, organizational behavior and hierarchy, and social justice.