Exploring the SECURE 2.0 Act: Enhacing Retirement Security for All
The foundation laid by the original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act bolstered retirement security for Americans by adapting to the changing landscape of retirement savings. An evolution of that legislation, SECURE 2.0, was passed on...
Rebalance Your Portfolio to Mitigate Risk
With a rapidly changing market comes the need to rebalance your portfolio to ensure you maintain your desired asset allocation. Volatile markets and global economic crises don’t happen every day, but they have certainly impacted investors’ portfolio balance in recent...
Construction Industry Trends Point to Aging Labor Force
Labor shortages and an aging work force, on top of project delays due to an increasing time lag in the supply chain, will continue to affect construction projects, making for extended challenges for the year ahead. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the...
Great News for Retirement Contribution Limits
It’s official - nearly all qualified retirement plan limits will increase significantly in 2022, something the industry hasn’t seen across the board in years. Employee deferral limits for 401(k) plans will increase from $19,500 to $20,500 next year. Participants over...
Retirement Plans Designed for Construction Companies
On February 9, 2021, Tom Santa Barbara, President of DirectAdvisors, spoke at The Bonadio Group’s New York State Construction Industry Conference. Tom’s main presentation — entitled “Retirement Plans Designed for Construction Companies” — focused on exciting...
Tom Santa Barbara Speaks at The Bonadio Group’s NYS Construction Industry Conference
This morning, Tom Santa Barbara, President of DirectAdvisors, spoke at The Bonadio Group's New York State Construction Industry Conference. Tom's presentation -- "Retirement Plans Designed for Construction Companies" -- focused on exciting developments for retirement...
DirectAdvisors – Vanguard Video Podcast: What To Do When Markets Drop 20%
Stock market drops of 20% or more are an unfortunate fact of life for investors, and can be expected to happen once or twice a decade. If you sell when prices are falling, you may miss out on a recovery. Since no one knows when the recovery will start, or how long it will take for the market to bounce back, it is important to stay the course.
DirectAdvisors – Newport Retirement Services Video Podcast: Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs)
DirectAdvisors is pleased to announce our 2nd video podcast in our ongoing retirement plan podcast series. Our guest in this episode was Matt Petralia, Regional Director, Northeast Region of Newport Retirement Services (Newport Group). Matt spent a few minutes speaking with DirectAdvisors’ Co-Founder and President, Tom Santa Barbara, on multi-employer plans, with a particular focus on Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs), which were introduced as part of the SECURE Act of 2019.
Fiduciary Liability Insurance vs. ERISA Fidelity Bonds
As you might be aware, fiduciary liability insurance and ERISA fidelity bonds are not one and the same. Both serve to mitigate risk for fiduciaries, and both are critical aspects of an employee benefit plan. However, it’s important to understand the differences between these two safety nets, as well as the degree to which your plan should be protected by each.
New Department of Labor E-Delivery Rules
The preparation of retirement plan account statements has traditionally required a great deal of paper, ink, time, and money. Printed statements that are mailed to plan participants are not environmentally friendly, are less secure, require more staff labor, and add extra costs to the administration of a retirement plan. With that in mind, a new e-delivery rule from the Department of Labor (DOL) could benefit your plan in a variety of ways.
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #10 – Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Required Disclosures to be Provided to Participants
There are all sorts of different documents you need to provide, and many of them have different deadlines. We take a look at some of the most important disclosures, their deadlines, who they need to be provided to, and your options for distributing them.
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #9 – What’s in an Adoption Agreement?
The adoption agreement is your guidebook on the features associated with your retirement plan, and is something you and your administrative team should be very familiar with. It is critical that you follow the rules in your adoption agreement to help ensure the Plan stays compliant.
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #8 – Retirement Plan Fees Explained
Fees have been a hot topic in the retirement services industry for some time now, and rightfully so. You don’t want your investment earnings to be eaten away by fees, but how can you tell what fees are being paid from your plan? And what fees are considered to be reasonable? You want to know if what you’re paying is appropriate.
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #7 – Your Fiduciary Responsibilities
Fiduciaries are considered an integral part of a retirement plan. They hold very important responsibilities and must adhere to specific best practices, or else they can be held personally liable.
Cybersecurity and Retirement Plans: How to Protect Your Workers’ Assets and Limit Your Liability
Cybersecurity threats pose a tremendous risk to plan sponsors and participants alike. Here’s how to protect your workers’ assets and limit your company’s liability.
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #6 – Staying Compliant: Tips for Administering Your Retirement Plan
As a Plan Sponsor, you’re tasked with all sorts of administrative requirements – determining eligibility of participants, providing required notices, depositing employee deferrals on time — the list goes on. There’s good news though, you’re not in this alone. DirectAdvisors has put together a helpful overview of these requirements to help you stay compliant and successfully navigate the administration on your plan.
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #5: Get Rich Slowly: The Key to Helping Participants Maximize Their Retirement Plan
How much money do you need to retire, and just how many people out there even have enough saved to retire?
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #4: Making Sense of the Investment Options Within Your Retirement Plan
You’ve likely heard the phrase “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” and you probably know that as a Fiduciary, you’re required to ensure that the Plan offers a diverse set of investment options, but just how many options should you be offering, and just how diverse do they need to be?
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #3: 2020 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
Did you know that as a Highly Compensated Employee you may be even further restricted from contributions? And were you aware that there are limits to both how much the employee AND the employer may contribute?
Retirement Plan Podcast Series #2: Pre-Tax vs. Roth
For the majority of the Plans we work with, adding a Roth feature is a great way to attract and retain employees. It’s a fairly easy option to administer within the Plan, assuming your payroll provider can integrate this feature, and it gives employees flexibility and control over their retirement dollars. But does it make sense for your Plan?
