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• Altigro Pension Adds Plans From Pro-Plans, Inc. of NJ

• Participant Fee Disclosure Requirements for Individual Account Plans

  Last year the Department of Labor (DOL) issued final regulations requiring broad disclosures of fees, expenses and certain other plan and investment-related information to participants and beneficiaries under individual account plans.

  The purpose of the new disclosure requirements is to ensure participants and beneficiaries have access to adequate information to enable them to comparison shop among investment options to make informed investment decisions.

  Below is a general overview of the regulations' key disclosure requirements that become effective in 2012.

• Part-Time Employees in 401(k) Plans

  Part-time employees may play an important role in your business, which can be a good thing for your bottom line - and can allow welcome flexibility for your employees, too. Many companies, from manufacturing to healthcare, are reaping the benefits of a multifaceted workforce.

  But, if you are offering your employees a 401(k) plan as part of your benefits package, it's not safe to assume your part-timers are automatically exempt from the plan. IRS regulations govern this aspect of retirement plans, with formulas for determining minimum age and service requirements, and other stipulations related to part-timers.

  This month's newsletter spells out some of the most important need-to-know facts about your part-time team members and your 401(k) program. We hope you'll take a close look, then give us a call. We're here to help you navigate the complexities.

• Fiduciary Liability for Participant-Directed Plans

  It seems that every month there are new stories in the financial press about participants suing their employers for mismanagement of the company 401(k) plan. While most of these suits have been directed at larger companies, the increasing frequency has employers of all sizes looking for ways to minimize their liability. One way to do that is to comply with a set of "safe-harbor" rules found in section 404(c) of ERISA.

• Hardship Distributions from 401(k) Plans

  It's four o'clock on Friday afternoon and there's a knock on the door of the Human Resource Manager's office. It's Zachary, a fairly new employee who entered the company's 401(k) plan last month. He's been deferring $40 a week into the plan, which means he has accumulated $160 by now. But last night his cable TV was shut off because he couldn't afford to pay the bill and from his 23-year-old point of view, retirement seems like a long way off.

• Boomerang Employees: Rehires and Retirement Plans

  A boomerang employee (as we will use that name in this article) is, quite simply, one who leaves and then comes back to work…a rehire. As is so often the case, the retirement plan rules related to rehires are quite different than those that apply to other areas of employment and benefits. Whether rehiring a former employee is a rare occurrence or part of your regular course of business, it is important to understand how these rules work.