Third Party Administrator

When it comes to your 401(k) plan, you likely know the basics: you contribute a portion of your paycheck, your employer might match some of it, and over ...

In today’s labor market, offering a competitive salary isn’t always enough to attract and retain top talent. Employees are looking for more, particularly ...

A 401(k) plan audit can feel daunting, but with proper preparation and guidance, employers can ensure compliance and minimize risks. Understanding what ...

Selecting the right third-party administrator (TPA) is critical for businesses that want to efficiently manage their retirement plans. A TPA acts as an ...

Compliance with federal regulations like ERISA, ACA, and COBRA is critical for employers offering benefits programs. Yet, navigating these complex requirements ...

As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your financial health and ensure you’re on track to meet your retirement goals. A quick ...

The IRS has announced new contribution limits for 401(k) plans in 2025, offering savers an opportunity to boost their retirement funds. Starting in 2025, ...

Click here to download or print this document as a PDF.

October is National Retirement Security Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about retirement planning. This initiative offers employers a unique ...

Originally published by the National Institute of Pension Administrators. Download the original PDF here. The mission of a Third Party Administrator ...

Carl and Terri, a couple in their early 60s, had been saving for retirement for over 30 years. They planned to live off their retirement savings, supplemented ...

Al and Maria, both in their early thirties, had been diligently contributing to their retirement accounts since their mid-twenties. They were renting a ...

Retirement planning is crucial for financial security, but women often face unique hurdles that can complicate this process. Understanding and addressing ...

Retirement is meant to be a time to enjoy the rewards of your years of hard work. Unfortunately, it can also make you a target for fraudsters, and scams ...

On September 23, 2024, the Retirement Security Rule will take effect, a pivotal regulatory update issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) aimed at ...

Cybersecurity is critically important for retirement accounts due to the substantial financial resources and sensitive personal data they contain. Retirement ...

This is an “IRS Rollover Chart” as it related to retirement plans and IRAs. Click here to download the chart as a PDF.  

Retiring abroad can be an attractive option for individuals seeking a change of scenery, a lower cost of living, or new cultural experiences and adventures ...

Jordan and Lisa both had high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) through their employers. Throughout their working years, ...

January is an opportune time to reflect on our financial habits and set the stage for a secure and prosperous future. Financial planning is not just about ...

In the dynamic landscape of personal finance, each generation brings its unique approach to savings, shaped by the economic and political climate, societal ...

As part of the SECURE Act, Long-Term, Part-Time (“LTPT”) rules were created in 2019. Effective for plan years beginning after 12/31/2020, 401(k) plans ...

After housing and food, health care is one of the largest expenses you can expect in retirement. According to Fidelity Investments, a 65-year-old retiring ...

If you’re an employer with a SIMPLE IRA plan for your workforce and want to switch to a 401(k) profit-sharing plan beginning January 1, 2024, the deadline ...

The SECURE 2.0 Act, signed into law in December 2022, includes measures aimed at simplifying the process for Americans to build their retirement savings. ...

Saving for retirement is not just a prudent financial choice but an essential one for most Americans. Social Security is a safety net but is not meant ...

Many people worry whether they will have enough in their retirement savings to live comfortably once they leave the workforce. Indeed, retirement savings ...

Between an unexpected major car repair, looming tuition bills for the kids, and ballooning credit card debt, Andy and his wife were financially strained. ...

Do you use the same company for your auto and homeowner’s insurance to get a discount and save money? Or on a smaller scale, do you buy a ‘value meal combo’ ...

When it comes to important life goals, such as graduating from college or achieving a career milestone, the journey takes time, perseverance, and hard ...

The pre-tax advantages of a 401(k) plan make it a very effective way for employees to save for retirement and lower their tax burden. Since taxes on a ...

With 2023 right on the horizon, now is a good time for employers to review whether their retirement plans are still in alignment with their business needs ...

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is a federal law that sets rules and standards of conduct for most voluntarily established retirement ...

For the most part, the news about Defined Benefit plans lately has not been particularly good. Whether a big company could no longer fund its plan or how ...

It’s important for employers to understand and meet their 401(k) fiduciary responsibilities and comply with ERISA rules to ensure the proper management ...

This month, the IRS extended the deadlines to adopt certain retirement plan amendments for most plans. Notice 2022-33 provides plan sponsors with an extension ...

It happens every minute of every day, in all types of businesses around the country: an employee receives a fake email and unwittingly clicks on a link ...

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act known as “ERISA” regulates 401(k) and most other types of employee benefit plans. Under ERISA, anyone who handles ...

The volatility in the financial markets have many 401(k) plan participants asking for guidance on how to weather the storm and manage their assets. Charles ...

A 33-year-old single mother, Karina paid little attention to her employer’s notices about the company’s 401(k) retirement plan. Retirement seemed like ...

There are some things we’re happy to buy right off the rack. After all, mass production usually means consistency and cost-savings. On the other hand, ...

On March 30, 2022, Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced the bi-partisan Starter-K Act in the Senate. This bill allows employers ...

Connecticut has implemented a mandatory program called MyCTSavings for employers with 5 employees or more who do not currently have a retirement plan in ...

It’s a common story – business owners put everything into their businesses for years before being in a financial position to put real money away for retirement. ...

Cash balance plans can offer high-income business owners and executives significant tax advantages and a way to build large retirement assets. A cash balance ...

Retirement plans can help employers attract and retain workers and improve morale. If you’re a small business owner considering a qualified retirement ...

Paid Leave Connecticut employers have been (or should have been) withholding a small percentage of employees’ salaries this year to contribute to the ...

When a 401k plan includes a Roth option, participants who are eligible to make traditional pre-tax 401k deferrals are also eligible to make Roth after-tax ...

In the fourth edition of the Phishing and Fraud Report, it was discovered that phishing incidents rose 220% during the height of the global pandemic compared ...

This notice explains how you may be able to pay less tax by contributing to your Employer’s Plan or to an individual retirement arrangement (“IRA”). If ...

A required minimum distribution, or RMD, is the minimum amount that must be withdrawn each year from a retirement account such as an IRA, 401(K), 403(B) ...

A cash balance plan is an employer-sponsored defined benefit plan that can be created by any business entity including Corporations, LLCs, Partnerships, ...

Ron, a single Millennial, was given the option by his employer during the annual enrollment period to choose a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with ...

The Internal Revenue service requires all qualified retirement plans to update their plan documents every 6 years, in a formal process called a “plan restatement.” ...

In July 2020, the Department of Labor finalized a rule that makes it easier for retirement plan sponsors to send certain retirement plan documents to covered ...

Retirement plan sponsors and those who work to correct plan failures need to know that as of July 16, 2021, the IRS has extended the self-correction period ...

The last thing that Eric needed was the news that a former employee had filed a lawsuit against his company alleging discrimination. The owner of a manufacturing ...

For years, Bob and his wife Ellen talked about moving from the Northeast to a southern state when it was time to retire. They often vacationed at a coastal ...

Dawn and Carlos, a married couple in their early sixties, had both worked in the nonprofit sector for most of their careers. They had saved for retirement ...

Money is a leading cause of stress for most Americans, even those considered wealthy. Surveys show that people worry about retirement savings, unexpected ...

At age 66 and widowed, Eric was ready to retire and faced with a choice: take a one-time lump sum benefit equal to the $550,000 he had in his defined benefit ...

Every six years, the IRS requires employers to restate their qualified retirement plan documents to incorporate any recent legislative and regulatory changes ...

To our Friends and Associates – Each year during the holiday season, we take great pleasure in setting aside time from our regular work to send a heartfelt ...

The decision to retire often brings a mix of emotions: relief, excitement, and anticipation of more time to relax, travel, and pursue other interests. ...

“I’ve been doing performance reviews for the past 20 years, and I’ve never gone back and looked at any of them once they were submitted.” “I usually just ...

Offering an attractive 401(k) plan is important to attract and retain good employees, but just as important is effective administration of the plan. Hiring ...

Bob’s wife, Angie, was laid off from her job in retail when the pandemic began and stores closed their doors. To make matters worse, Bob became infected ...

This forwards automatically to the Newsletter PDF with proper formatting

As the engines of the economy restart in phases, many business leaders are grappling with concerns about the welfare and safety of their employees and ...

RECORDKEEPER/ADMINISTRATOR RENEWS CERTIFICATION TO INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES PITTSBURGH, May 27, 2020, CEFEX, Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, LLC, has ...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Nearly 450 Million people worldwide are currently living with some level of mental illness including anxiety, depression ...

Missing or unresponsive retirement plan participants pose a challenge for plan sponsors, who have a fiduciary responsibility under ERISA to locate them ...

This forwards automatically to the Employer Connect PDF with proper Q&A formatting.

Aligning Plan Design with Your Goals Most of us live in homes that were not custom-designed for us. We adapt to them rather than expect them to be optimized ...

The IRS has published some good news for Form 5500 filers—well, some Form 5500 filers. Under Notice 2020-23, released April 9, the extensions generally ...

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Key provisions ...

Coronavirus Business Recovery TPS Group will continue representing the interests of you and your employees during this crisis and keep you informed of ...

As America has nearly shut down overnight due to the coronavirus pandemic, we understand employers are faced with growing concerns about how to manage ...

The IRS on March 24 updated its website to indicate that it has extended until July 15, 2020 the deadlines for making contributions to workplace-based ...

At TPS Group, we care deeply about the safety of our employees, customers, and communities. Due to the evolving situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) ...

As the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases increases in the United States, employers are faced with growing concerns about how to manage the impact ...

SECURE Act The goal of our nation’s retirement system is to create more opportunities for American workers to save and to make it easier for employers ...

Administering a retirement plan requires a high level of expertise, which is one reason employers choose a TPA for this function. A competent TPA relieves ...

The written version of your retirement plan, your plan document, defines how the plan operates. Naturally, when you started your plan, it reflected what ...

Understanding How Forfeitures Work in Your Retirement Plan When we talk about 401(k) retirement plans, we sometimes focus on the contributions made by ...

You already know that a 401(k) is a very popular retirement plan and, like other plan designs, it allows your employees to take advantage of tax deferrals ...

401(k) contribution limit increases to $19,500 for 2020; catch-up limit rises to $6,500 The Internal Revenue Service announced that employees in 401(k) ...

Understanding Why a QDIA Matters Auto-enrollment has been proven to be effective in raising participation rates in 401(k) plans. As a result, it's been ...

Plan sponsors have a lot on their plates. At the 2019 National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Summit, a panel of plan sponsors expressed their chief ...

When it comes to the topic of fiduciary responsibilities for qualified retirement plans, there are three things we know really well: Plan sponsors like ...

IRS rules provide for participant loans and hardship withdrawals from 401(k) and other plans. They’re not required, but rather left to the discretion of ...

When to Set Sail with Safe Harbor You already know that a 401(k) is a very popular retirement plan and, like other plan designs, it allows your employees ...

Financial Wellness – It’s Essential to Saving for Retirement Introducing a workplace retirement plan can be a compelling way for emplyees to take control ...

Forty-five years old, married with two teens, and employed full-time, Shannon struggled to care for her aging parents as their health deteriorated. Her ...

Cash Balance Plans Allow Six Figure Contributions Most people can contribute to their 401(k) without worrying about exceeding the annual contribution ...

To Roth or Not to Roth A compelling feature of a 401(k) plan has always been the opportunity to contribute money from your current income on a pre-tax ...

Retirement accounts have become an attractive target for cyber-thieves, and fraudulent activity is on the rise nationally. Here are important steps to ...

Young adults of Generation Z, defined as the cohort of people born from 1997 on, are entering the workforce and will change the rule book just as the Millennials ...

It’s a new, startling labor trend in one of the strongest job markets in 19 years: “ghosting.” Once a term used primarily in the dating world to describe ...

Unless you are one of the lucky few with a lifetime medical plan paid for by your employer, health care costs are one of the largest expenses in retirement ...

Many employees don’t contribute enough to their 401(k) to take full advantage of their employer’s matching contribution. Are you one of them? Maybe you ...

Don't Miss This Opportunity!  "Hot Topics in HR" Complimentary Seminar November 13, 2018 You are invited to a complimentary seminar and brunch buffet ...

For the 401(k) fiduciary, the importance of timely salary deferral deposits cannot be overstated. An employer that fails to remit employee contributions ...

Are you at risk of a cyber-attack? The answer to that question is yes. Millions of credit card numbers and other forms of personal information are stolen ...

The Davis-Bacon Act is a federal prevailing wage law governed by the Department of Labor that applies to contractors and subcontractors who perform work ...

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) offer significant tax advantages and can be an effective way to cover health care costs in retirement. By law, HSAs are ...

Advisors and plan sponsors benchmark plan fees, nvestments and other services that can be provided  by a record keeping platform, but rarely have I encountered ...