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 | 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 | Nov 15, 2024 | 401k Compliance, 401k Plan Audit Documentation, Audit Deadlines
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Frozen turkeys go on sale, holiday carols fill the airwaves… and retirement plan sponsors check off those year-end 401(k) plan tasks to stay compliant. (That’s what you were thinking, too, right?) Because by the end of the...
