Returning Value Blog

To maintain their lifestyles in retirement, many top execs would like to set aside more dollars annually than is allowed under a qualified plan, such as a 401(k). One way an employer can help them do so is by setting up a nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plan.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has been known to investigate the reasonableness of retirement plan expenses and the proper use of plan fees. In some cases, the agency has found plans to be in violation for fee-related infringements, which has led to costly assessments to the plan sponsors in question. If your organization sponsors a retirement plan for its employees, you need to pay close attention to its expenses and fees.

As a business owner/manager, you have many processes and tasks involved in your day-to-day workload. Scheduling, timekeeping, payroll, etc...How about new hire onboarding?

In their continuing effort to assemble the most enticing employee benefits package possible, some employers are showing renewed interest in an old favorite: group term life insurance. Although such life insurance coverage had fallen off the radar screens of some employers, it remains an affordable benefit that can pay off for employer and employees alike.

Trade secrets are among the most critical yet often overlooked assets of any organization. And they aren’t always as sophisticated as proprietary software or as famously secret as Coca-Cola’s formula. A trade secret can be as seemingly innocuous as a customer list, business strategy, policy manual or pricing sheet.

In the face of a tight job market and a widening skills gap, employers in many industries are catching on to the benefits of “upskilling.” More than just your typical employee training, upskilling takes a broad approach to development.

Many employers sponsor 401(k) plans to help employees save for retirement. But sometimes those employees need access to plan funds well before they retire. In such cases, if the plan allows it, participants can make a hardship withdrawal.

Once an employer identifies a prospect for an open position and sets up an interview, another great challenge arises: How do you effectively use the interview to determine whether this person is right for your organization?

It’s easy to get frustrated when an employee is failing to produce the volume or quality of work you’re looking for. A business owner or department manager may even give in to the temptation to play the blame game, pointing a finger at the struggling worker and only exacerbating the situation.

Most of the health and welfare plans offered by employers today are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Generally, ERISA envisions that employee benefit plans will have both a plan document and a summary plan description (SPD). But, in some cases, a single document may serve both purposes. Let’s look at the difference between the two and under what circumstances they may be combined.