Gone are the days when people worked for the same employer for 50 years. By the time we retire, most of us will have worked at several different companies, perhaps in different countries and even in different industries. In the course of your career, you probably will have accumulated pension money through a company pension plan. If you changed employers and did not move your pension, chances are good that you have more than one pension plan.

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• Begin preparing the applicable safe harbor notices to employees, and plan for distribution of the notices between October 2 and December 2 (calendar-year plans).
• Distribute the plan’s Summary Annual Report by September 30 to participants and beneficiaries, unless an extension of time to file Form 5500 applies (calendar-year plans).
• Send a reminder memo or email to all employees to encourage them to review and update, if necessary, their beneficiary designations for all benefit

How realistic are employees about the true state of their retirement savings? While many among the three primary generations that make up today’s workforce are feeling pretty good about the future, all three may be seeing things a little optimistically.

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Putting together your plan doesn’t have to mean going it alone.

You’ve decided to save for retirement by signing up for your company retirement plan. After you’ve settled on the investment profile that best suits your style of investing (say, conservative, aggressive, or somewhere in between), the next most important decision you can make is how to match your style to your plan’s investment options. This part of investing is called asset allocation.

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Financial wellness is important for individuals and their employers, in part because of the role it may play in retirement. Individuals benefit when they are financially healthy, because it makes them more prepared to retire on time and with enough money. Companies benefit, too, because along with the potential for better-controlled benefit- and other employment-related costs, on-time retirements make room for promotions, new hires, and fresh ideas.

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You may need to reconsider how you file your return

In 2018, the most significant changes to US individual taxes since 1986 took effect. Many taxpayers were happy with their increased paychecks during the year, but surprised that they had taxes to pay or a smaller refund at year-end. Now that there’s more clarity in the rules, and a better understanding of how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects your personal tax situation, you may want to adjust your withholding to reflect the changes. (more…)