Confero Summer 2014: Issue 7 | Page 8

SUMMER 2014 THE ONE PAGE MAGAZINE New Treasury Regulation Provides New Lifetime Income Options for Defined Contribution Plans The U.S. Treasury Department issued final regulations that pave the way for defined contribution plans – including 401(k) plans and IRAs – to provide participants with a new option for insuring against longevity risk. One of the ideas that has emerged among academics and industry thought-leaders is to create a new product that has come to be known as a “longevity annuity.” Companies like MetLife have made these products available in the retail marketplace. Demand has been growing, but is still limited. A major barrier, however, is that regulatory restrictions made it unattractive to use these products where they made the most sense – in qualified retirement plans. This ruling changes that. To read the article on Forbes visit: www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreybrown/2014/07/01/ new-treasury-regulation-provides-new-lifetimeincome-option-for-defined-contribution-plans/ —Forbes, 7/1/14 Early Baby Boomers Comfortable with Retirment Income New York’s Non-Profit Revitalization Act Of 2013 Changes The Governance of Private Colleges, Universities and Schools Effective July 1, 2014, New York’s Non-Profit Revitalization Act, (the Act) fundamentally changes the governance of non-profit private colleges, universities and schools and other charitable organizations. New York, which labored under cumbersome and antiquated regulatory statutes, has created a simpler method of creating new non-profit entities. It has also adopted many of the best governance practices already employed by private schools in New York State and many other reforms long sought by charitable enterprises and their counsel. Non-profit organizations can now incorporate, dissolve and merge more easily. Boards are permitted to use modern technology like Skype and videoconferencing to communicate and hold meetings and may enter into significant transactions without court approval. The Act also provides critical oversight and governance reforms to prevent fraud and improve the public trust, including stricter oversight of insider deals, more substantial financial oversight requirements, conflict-of-interest policies, and whistleblower policies. Read the full article at: www.lexology.com/library/ detail.aspx?g=adf7b640-a0f6-4eb2-885d-dc0f186058aa —Greenberg Traurig LLP, 7/18/14 Retirement Accounts Hold Record Balances The recent stock run-up is doing wonders for retirement savings. The average balance in a Fidelity Individual Retirement Account (IRA) rose 15% on an annual basis in the second quarter to $92,600 -- an all-time high. In the same period, the average balance in a Fidelity 401(k) account also set a record, up nearly 13% annually to $91,000. The mutual fund giant credited 77% of the gains to a surging stock market, and 23% to employee and employer contributions. For the full article click here: www.ksat.com/content/ pns/ksat/news/2014/07/18/money-fidelity-401kbalances.html —Patrick M. Sheridan, 7/18/14 Recent retirees and those about to retire are relatively comfortable and confident in their retirement income, said a survey conducted by Brightwork Partners for T. Rowe Price Group. The survey was conducted to mark the first retirements of the oldest baby boomers, who turned 65 in 2011, said Anne Coveney, senior manager of thought leadership at T. Rowe Price Group, who led the study for the firm. To read the article on pionline.com visit: www.pionline.com/article/20140730/ ONLINE/140739984/early-baby-boomerscomfortable-with-retirement-income-8212report?utm_campaign=ramp_rss&utm_source=_ rss&utm_medium=rss ­— Rob Kozlowski, pionline.com, 7/30/14 Interest in Defined-Benefit Grows Among Small Business Owners According to the most recent statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, published in a June 2013 report, the number of defined-benefit plans had dropped from about 180,000 in 1985 to fewer than 50,000 in 2011. However, despite the steep drop-off, financial advisors at Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James and other wealth management firms say that interest in such plans is climbing among one important sector: small business owners. 6 | SUMMER 2014 For the full article click here: www.onwallstreet.com/news/small_business/interest-in-defined-benefit-growsamong-small-business-owners-2689676-1.html — Miriam Rozen, OnWallStreet, 7/1/14