Tuesday, May 18, 2010

401k Automatic Enrollment -- What You Need to Know

I recently read a great article written by TRI-AD at 401khelpcenter.com. Please read below.

Based on current articles in both the popular and business press, it should come as no surprise that Americans are currently not saving adequately to fund their retirement. Legislators have become increasingly concerned, and with the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), they took action. Although many employers historically have had automatic enrollment, one of PPA’s provisions encourages employers to enroll their employees automatically in an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan without the employees’ written authorization.

The automatic enrollment feature is growing rapidly in popularity. Employers are adopting it for two main reasons:
• Employers are committed to raising 401(k) participation levels. Research shows that one of the biggest barriers to participation is inertia: employees mean to enroll but just don’t get around to it. Employers help employees overcome this inertia by automatically enrolling them in the plan.

The new legislation also provides an ERISA preemption to state laws that often prohibit employers from taking paycheck deductions without the employee’s written permission, as long as the provisions discussed below are met. The state preemption was previously a barrier to implementing automatic enrollment.

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To read the rest of the article, please visit the 401khelpcenter article link.

Integrity Financial Corporation’s flagship 401k client is the Association of Washington Business (AWB) in Olympia. AWB is Washington state’s premier advocate for the business community and is recognized as The State’s Chamber of Commerce. This plan has a BrightScope Rating of 76, placing it in the top 15% of all plans in its peer group. www.brightscope.com

Integrity Financial Corporation helps business owners and individuals build a financial legacy through well designed executive compensation and retirement plans. Our clients can expect to receive personalized service and expertise, built on a foundation of trust. Call us at 425-454-1254 for the Seattle or Bellevue area, or at 1-800-794-401k.

Please visit our website at www.ifclegacy.com to have an independent fiduciary 401k advisor at Integrity Financial Corporation analyze and evaluate your company's 401k plan.

1 comment:

Benchmark My Plan said...

While this sounds like a great deal of effort, much of these responsibilities can be met through 401k benchmarking— a service in which a third party company takes an analysis of your offered 401k plans, their performance, and where they might need improvement.