This program will address the various options for retirement plan design including eligibility variations, carve out plans, identifying the employer(s)
An employee retirement program is essential and costly at the same time. It is one of the heftiest endeavors that an employer has to put money on. But such programs are one of the virtual channels towards employee engagement in your organization. The benefits you offer will make or break your employee's decision to work for you.
So, investing in such a program is vital, or you can say it will form an essential part of your organization's foundation. On the other hand, employers offering these plans typically benefit from tax breaks. Also, sponsoring benefits is seen as a way to recruit and retain valuable employees
This year, more than ever before, employers see investments in health and retirement as an integral part of workforce strategy, increasing from 36% in 2019 to 45% in 2020. This is spurred in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, shining a light on the connection between employee health and well-being and overall business performance.
When you choose a retirement plan for your firm, you want flexibility in plan design that addresses your needs as a plan sponsor, as well as the needs of your plan participants.
This program will address the various options for retirement plan design including eligibility variations, carve out plans, identifying the employer(s), in addition to other useful alternatives in plan design to satisfy the goal of the plan sponsor.
Major Topics covered in this course:
-Eligibility and coverage rules -Compensation measuring period -Allocation to active/terminated employees -Two plan combinations -Leveraged defined benefit plan -Class allocation profit sharing plan -Top heavy provisions -Self-directed investments -Hardship distributions -In-service distributions -Life insurance in defined contribution plans -Life insurance in defined benefit plans
Attendees of this online continuing education course will learn what is behind the plan design options so they are able to suggest effective alternatives for their clients. It will put them a step ahead of most advisors that may be familiar with the basics but not the intricacies of those basics.
Field of Study: Finance
Stephen Abramson is the President and founding partner of APS Pension & Financial Services established in 1979, a mid-size consulting and actuarial firm employing twenty-two professional and support staff specializing in pension and pension-related services. For over 40 years, APS has been providing closely held businesses and non-profits with financial services including pension design and administration, business succession planning, and wealth preservation planning. In 2015 APS Investment Management was established to provide ERISA 3/38 fiduciary services to 401(k) and 403(b) plans and in 2018 APS Wealth Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), was established to provide investment management services to individual clients and retirement plans replacing a previous relationship with a Broker/Dealer. Steve has taught professional level education programs for the American Society of Pension Actuaries; lectured to various professional groups, including the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, The NYS Society of CPAs, provided continuing education webinars for the Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE), the Nassau Bar Association, the C.W. Post Tax Institute, and the National Institute of Pension Administrators; and conducted continuing education seminars for Certified Public Accountants for the past 35 years. Steve is an Associate member of the NYSSCPAs, a member of their Employee Benefit Committee, and chairs a sub-committee on Fiduciary Compliance. Steve also hosts webinars on various retirement plan topics, some of which are jointly sponsored by the NYSSCPAs through the Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE). He is co-author of Plan Smart, Retire Rich published by McGraw Hill in 1998; author of Advisor’s Guide to Qualified Plans originally published by Aspen Publishing in March, 2002 and recently updated with the 7th edition in 2018, and Retirement Financial Management for Clients Approaching Retirement published by Aspen Publishing in August, 2002. A less technical version of Advisor’s Guide to Qualified Plans entitled Guide to Qualified Retirement Plans: A Plain Language Primer was published by the International Association of Employee Benefits in March 2005. The second edition of this book was released in 2008. Steve graduated from Cornell University in 1964, earned the designation of Chartered Life Underwriter in 1967 from the American College, Certified Pension Consultant in 1970 from the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries and Chartered Financial Consultant from the American College in 1972.
Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.
Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.
