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 | 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 | 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 | Sep 15, 2025 | 401k Communication, Audit Procedures
Completing your independent 401(k) plan audit is a big milestone—but it’s not the final step. Once your auditor issues the report, there are still a few key tasks to wrap up on your end as the plan sponsor. Here’s what happens after the audit is finished, what’s...
