Auto Portability blog posts


Jul
17
2015

Safe Harbor IRAs Are Not Always Safe

Plan sponsors can help themselves and their participants over the long term by rolling balances of $5,000 or less from inactive participants into safe harbor IRAs. However, for various reasons discussed below, many safe harbor IRAs do not live up to their name and could leave sponsors with unexpected fiduciary liability.

Jun
16
2015

How to Make Mandatory Distributions More Fiduciary Friendly

Mandatory distributions from employer-sponsored plans are a creation of regulation's specifically, a section of ERISA that allows plan sponsors to distribute accounts with less than $5,000 out of a qualified plan and into a safe harbor IRA.

May
28
2015

Portability and the Mobile Work Force Webcast Recap

In conjunction with Boston Research Technologies, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) announced the findings of a groundbreaking research study on America's mobile workforce, providing insights into participant behaviors regarding retirement savings portability. The study offers plan sponsors with strategies to stem cashouts and to improve retirement outcomes.

May
15
2015

Enhance Auto Enrollment with Auto Portability

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 created a safe harbor for retirement plan sponsors to automatically enroll employees in their plans. This provision was designed to help plan sponsors and participants over the long term, and it has but it also unintentionally fueled a surge in small accounts, hurting both constituencies. Auto Portability is a solution that promises to address the problems associated with automatic enrollment. The benefits are huge -- particularly for high-turnover industries.

Apr
11
2015

Reduce Plan Fees by Increasing Account Balances

Plan costs can be lowered by increasing average balances, and average balances can be increased through auto portability, says RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams.

Mar
16
2015

Why Dump Mandatory Distributions in a Landfill When You Can Recycle?

Mandatory distributions of small 401(k) accounts when participants separate from service provide many benefits for plan sponsors, including lower administrative costs and higher average account balances.