• Call for Presentations: 2013 NIPA Annual Forum & Expo 
• Join NIPA Today!  
• Upcoming Webcasts   
• NIPA Congratulates New APA/APR Recipients 
• Maximize Efficiency with NIPA TPA Business Owner Resources 
• A Gift From NIPA: 50% Off Online Certificate Courses 
• QDIA Safe Harbor Applies to Fiduciary's Transfer of Participant Accounts 

NIPA invites you to participate in the open call for speakers and presentations for the 2013 NIPA Annual Forum & Expo (2013NAFE), taking place April 28-May 1, 2013 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. NIPA's call for presentations is now open through Friday, August 10.

Position yourself as an industry leader and showcase your expertise to the retirement plan industry! Learn more about the NAFE and submit the online form .

• In 2012, NIPA attracted more than 400 attendees and 39 vendors to the conference.
• The NAFE typically offers 25 or more education sessions and at least three general sessions.
• The majority of attendees are pension administrators. Other attendees include business owners, consultants, business managers, certificate financial planners and more. 

To be considered for this opportunity, complete the online form by Friday, August 10.

For questions or additional information, contact NIPA Headquarters at nipa@nipa.org or 800.999.NIPA (6472). 

As an approved ERPA sponsor, NIPA live webcasts are worth two NIPA and two ERPA CPE credits each.

Participant Fee Disclosures and Investment Basics
Wednesday, August 8, 2012

While you are likely prepared to provide participants their new fee disclosures, do you know what you are handing out? In order to understand the disclosure, this session will first look into investments and structures generally found in retirement plans. What are the differences between mutual funds and sub-accounts; money market, table value guaranteed income funds? Do you understand what the quarterly comparison chart is trying to illustrate and what the Department of Labor wants illustrated?
Register today!

Timing is Everything: A Look at Fiscal Year Plan Issues

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Having plan years that end other than December 31 can be helpful in spreading out the workload. However, have you considered all of the issues that a fiscal plan year brings with it? This webcast will help you recognize and understand how to handle these issues for fiscal year plans.
Register today!

Creditor Protection of Retirement Assets
Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Clients frequently ask questions regarding the "safety" of funds held in a qualified retirement plan. This session will review the asset protection features and potential weaknesses of tax qualified retirement plans and IRAs.
Register today!

RMDs for a DB
Thursday, September 20, 2012

Explore the trials and tribulations of required minimum distributions in defined benefit plans, including the many complexities of the calculations and subsequent distribution.
Register today!


View the full webcast schedule.

Congratulations to the newest APA and APR designation recipients!

APA
Thomas Allan, APA, San Diego Pension Consultants
Vivek Arora, APA, Milliman India Pvt. Ltd.
Arnab Baksi, APA, Milliman India Pvt. Ltd.
David Barrer, APA, Advanced Pension Solutions, Inc.
Dana Markee, APA, Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc.

APR
Kelly Burnett, APR, Matthews Benefit Group, Inc.
John Cotterman, APR, KB Pension Services, Inc.
Lynette Golly, APR, July Business Services
William Grossman, APR, McKay Hochman Company, Inc.
Marc Roberts, APR, Associated Pension Consultants
Karen Wood, APR, Benefits Administrators, LLC

NIPA's APA/APR designations set your firm apart from the competition. Enroll your entire staff today with NIPA's group tuition program. There's still time to enroll in the next exam testing window taking place November 1-November 30.

NIPA is dedicated to providing resources to help TPA business owners become more effective and profitable in growing their business and successfully navigating through the firm's life cycle. Maximize efficiency and improve bottom-line results with these TPA business owner resources from NIPA.

Receive Quality Coverage and Discounts on Errors & Omissions Insurance



Learn more about NIPA's TPA Business Owner Resources.
 

NIPA members are eligible to take advantage of NIPA's July members-only gift: 50% off all NIPA online certificate courses! Join NIPA today!

NIPA offers five online certificate courses that work around your schedule. Each course is comprised of online content, a comprehensive exam and a certificate issued at the time of successful completion.

In addition, as an approved ERPA sponsor, each NIPA certificate course is eligible for NIPA and ERPA CPE credits.  

• A Comprehensive Guide to 401(k) Plans 
• Distribution Administrator 
• Loan Administrator 
• The Fundamentals of Qualified Plans 
• IRA Essentials 

In this case involving a fiduciary's investment of participants' retirement plan accounts in a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA), the appellate court upheld the trial court's decision in favor of the plan fiduciary holding that the DOL's safe harbor for QDIA investments applied to the fiduciary's actions. As background, a plan fiduciary can limit its liability with respect to participants (or beneficiaries) who fail to give investment instructions by investing their accounts in a QDIA in accordance with DOL regulations. The participants here had chosen to invest their accounts in the plan's stable value fund, which happened to be the plan's default investment before the QDIA rules were implemented. The plan did not keep track of which accounts were invested in the stable value fund by default and which were the result of an affirmative election.

 

Read the full article.

Source: EBIA Weekly