Thursday, February 26, 2009
Shifting the 401(k) Expense Load To Participants
As companies continue to trim payrolls and overhead, the conversation eventually includes the 401(k) Plan. Much like the Health Plan, there are new questions about how much of the plan’s expenses can be transferred to participants, and which expenses must be borne by the employer.
In many cases, there is also a Forfeiture Account, which includes matching contributions for participants who have left the company before they were fully vested. Can this account be used to pay expenses? and, if so, which ones?
Fortunately, Cathy Waxenberg. President of Laiken Associates in NYC, has posted a guide for this complex subject: Payment Options for Plan Expenses.
If you are thinking of reallocating your plan’s expenses, this is a “must read.”