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Benefit Insights: Hardship Gets a Little Easier
Hardships Get a Little Easier
Earlier this year, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 was passed by Congress and signed into law. While this law made several changes that impact retirement plans, one provision changing the rules around hardship distributions is particularly notable. Learn More - Access the link below.
Helping Hands
One of the most prevalent and difficult challenges for many twenty somethings these days is the repayment of their, often substantial, student loan debt. Statistics show that the average college graduate with a bachelor’s degree left school in 2016 with $28,446 in student loan debt. Learn More - Access the link below.
Cost of Living Adjustments (TABLE)
Every Fall, the coming year’s Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) are released by the Internal Revenue Service. The benefit increases counteract the effects of inflation and keep up with the “cost of living”. Below are the limits for 2019. Learn More - Access the link below.
'Tis the Season
It’s the time of year when Plan Sponsors scramble to deliver the myriad notices required to be given to their participants. Even with the help of service providers, the sheer number of notices can be overwhelming. Learn More - Access the link below.
Port in the Storm
Natural disasters can cause upheaval in many aspects of victims’ lives and this destruction often extends to financial matters. What should otherwise be routine compliance for plan deadlines can prove difficult in these extreme events and the government tends to grant temporary relief in such cases. Learn More - Access the link below.
ITR Economics: Insights from the ITR Economics CEO – Five Inhibitors Between You and Capital Appreciation in Equities
We think there are four variables presently at work that are inhibiting stock market rise and one variable that typically means the market has gone as high as it can for the current cycle. The five mitigating variables are...
The Retirement Income Gap and Helpful Hints for Plan Sponsors
The Retirement Income Gap
Many American workers participate in company retirement plans, methodically contributing to their accounts over time to fund for life after work. Beyond benefiting from employer-funded plans, retirees commonly draw from additional savings tucked away in IRAs or after-tax savings accounts as well. Add Social Security payments to the mix and it should be a recipe for a secure retirement, right?
Read more by selecting the pdf below...
Helpful Hints for Plan Sponsors
Being a plan sponsor comes with a good bit of responsibility. You’ve taken the important step of hiring a third-party administration firm to help you navigate the myriad of processes that are required to keep your plan in compliance with applicable regulations. Below are a few helpful hints to keep your plan in compliance, avoid unnecessary corrections, and help to better serve your participants.
Read more by selecting the pdf below...
ITR Economics: Insights from the ITR Economics CEO – Tariffs More than a Tiff
We think there are four variables presently at work that are inhibiting stock market rise and one variable that typically means the market has gone as high as it can for the current cycle. The five mitigating variables are...
ITR Economics: Insights from the ITR Economics CEO – 10 Reasons There is No Russian Equivalency
Militarily speaking, Russia is a powerful country; some might say even on par with the US. We are economists, however, not politicians. Accordingly, we think in metrics and mathematical terms. Economically speaking, there is no equivalency between the US and Russia.
ITR Economics: Insights from ITR Economics CEO - Five Inhibitors Between You and Capital Appreciation in Equities
We think there are four variables presently at work that are inhibiting stock market rise and one variable that typically means the market has gone as high as it can for the current cycle. The five mitigating variables are:
- Individual investors have gone heavily into this market; which tends to mean it is overbought.
- The Cyclically Adjusted Price Earnings (CAPE) ratio is sufficiently high to suggest less-than-inflation rates of return ahead on average for the next five years.
- Corporate profitability is going to need a significant lift from the tax changes to return the S&P 500 to a rising trend, and such a lift is not a slam dunk.
- The specter of a trade war is creating uncertainty.
- This is a mid-term election year.
ITR Economics: Insights from our CEO - Four Reasons Why Secular Stagnation Does Not Describe the US
“Secular stagnation” is meant to describe a market-based economy that experiences slow growth or no growth. Secular is used to imply a long-term condition as opposed to the cyclical variety with which we usually deal.
Benefit Insights: Who is an Employee and HSA vs 401(k)
Who is an Employee?
Maintaining a retirement plan for your employees is no easy task. At various points during the year, employers and HR departments field participant questions, help with enrollments, deliver notices and statements, and participate in the distribution process. However, an additional responsibility, and one of the most important, is the collection of data that is used for compliance testing and government reporting. Learn more by selecting the Newsletter attachment below...
HSA vs 401(k)
If your company has decided to offer a high deductible health plan, don't worry, you are not alone. Recent studies show that an increasing number of employers have elected to offer high deductible health plans (HDHP) either to completely replace or be offered in conjunction with a more traditional Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan or Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan. Learn more by selecting the Newsletter attachment below...
ITR Economics: Insights from ITR Economics CEO - Follow the Money
" Follow the money” is very good advice at this stage of the business cycle and the trend through April 24 was not encouraging.
ITR Economics: Insights from ITR Economics CEO, Brian Beaulieu – Moonwalking Tariffs
"The Trump Administration decided to exempt the European Union, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, and Australia from the steel and aluminum tariffs that went into effect on March 23. Below is a list of the top 11 sources of imported steel into the US."