by JoAnn Cassell | Jul 15, 2026 | 401k Compliance, Regulations & Policies
If you’ve ever put off a doctor’s appointment because you felt fine, you’ll understand why some plan sponsors don’t think much about compliance until audit season arrives. Unfortunately, retirement plans have a lot in common with annual...
by JoAnn Cassell | Jun 15, 2026 | 401k Compliance, Regulations & Policies, SECURE Act
Every year has its “you really can’t ignore this anymore” compliance items. 2026 is… one of those years. To help, we put together this 2026 SECURE checklist to ensure you are on track with every compliance item due this year. To be fair, most plan sponsors have been...
by JoAnn Cassell | May 15, 2026 | 401k Compliance, Merger & Acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions tend to create a very specific kind of optimism: “We closed the deal. Everybody survived. The hard part is over.” And then six months later, someone says: “Wait… what do you mean the plan merger was effective last year?” That’s usually when...
by JoAnn Cassell | Apr 15, 2026 | 401k Compliance, Employee Termination
If forfeitures are little more than an afterthought in managing your 401(k) plan, you are not alone. 401(k) forfeitures are one of those quiet plan mechanics that can create outsized compliance issues when plan sponsors misunderstand—or worse, ignore them. Let’s break...
by JoAnn Cassell | Mar 15, 2026 | 401k Compliance Error, 401k Plan Mistakes, Audit Insights
As a sponsor of a 401(k) plan, you’re not trying to break the rules—the opposite, you have the best intentions for your employees. You’re offering a benefit that protects their futures! But as I recently shared on The 401(k)ouple Podcast, most mistakes don’t come...
by JoAnn Cassell | Feb 15, 2026 | 401k Communication, Preparing for a 401(k) audit, Record Retention
Census data… I know, exciting! But seriously, before you hit “send” on your employee census to your third-party administrator (TPA) or auditor for testing, double-check the details. An accurate census is the foundation of your 401(k) plan audit, leading to reliable...
by JoAnn Cassell | Jan 15, 2026 | 401k Compliance
A practical guide to Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUPs) Just because you don’t need a 401(k) plan audit doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still protect your employees and organization. That’s where Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUPs) come in—a customizable, cost-effective...
by JoAnn Cassell | Dec 15, 2025 | 401k Audit Time, Preparing for a 401(k) audit
If you’ve been through a few 401(k) audits, you know the routine. But for Kyle Mishler, Director of Operations at Civiltech Engineering, Inc., audit prep isn’t just a once-a-year task—it’s part of how she stays organized year-round. We sat down with Kyle (a long-time...
by JoAnn Cassell | Nov 15, 2025 | 401k Compliance, Gratitude
In celebration of this season of gratitude, it’s a good time to zoom out and look at why we conduct 401(k) plan audits in the first place. Yes, audits are required by the Department of Labor (DOL) for plans with 100 or more participants with balances. Yes, there are...
by JoAnn Cassell | Oct 15, 2025 | Regulations & Policies, SECURE Act
Just last month, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS issued final regulations addressing the SECURE 2.0 Act provisions relating to catch-up contributions. And while we can’t offer legal or compliance advice (we’re your auditor, not your plan administrator or...
