A DOL Investigation Letter Arrived: What Plan Sponsors Must Produce and Who Responds
October 7, 2026
A DOL investigation letter is a fiduciary event, not a paperwork request. Here is what plan sponsors are typically asked to produce, who should respond, and how to get organized.
When the Business Closes or Is Sold Suddenly: Who Is Responsible for the 401(k) Left Behind
October 6, 2026
When a business closes or is sold suddenly, the 401(k) plan does not wind itself down. Here is who stays responsible, what must be reconciled, and how sponsors keep the plan from being abandoned.
Catch-Up Contributions After SECURE 2.0: What Sponsors Must Set Up in Payroll
October 5, 2026
SECURE 2.0 turned catch-up contributions from a simple payroll toggle into a coordinated sponsor project. Here is what employers must decide, set up and monitor.
Plan Sponsor Duties When a Participant Dies: Claims, Beneficiaries and Spousal Rights
October 4, 2026
When a participant dies, the plan sponsor has to pay the right person, in the right amount, under the plan document. Here is the death-claim process step by step.
The Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP): When to Use It
October 3, 2026
The Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program lets plan sponsors fix certain plan-asset errors and get DOL no-action relief. Here is when to use it, how the correction works, and what it does not cover.
Choosing a 401(k) Auditor: What the Auditor Needs From the Plan Sponsor
October 2, 2026
Hiring a 401(k) auditor is a fiduciary act, and the audit only goes as well as the records the sponsor hands over. Here is what to ask, what to provide, and where audits go wrong.
Excess Deferrals and Contributions Over the Annual Limits: What Sponsors Must Correct
October 1, 2026
Excess deferrals and contributions over the annual limits are an operational failure the plan sponsor must find, correct and document. Here is how they happen and how sponsors fix them.
Late Form 5500 Filings and the DFVC Program: What Sponsors Should Do
September 30, 2026
A late Form 5500 is one of the most common plan problems and one of the most fixable. Here is how sponsors use the DOL’s Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance program, what it covers, and what it doesn’t.
ERISA Budget Accounts and Revenue Sharing: How Sponsors Must Allocate and Use Them
September 29, 2026
Revenue sharing credited to an ERISA budget account is plan money. Here is how sponsors should track it, what it can pay for, and how to allocate what is left.
Correcting a Missed Deferral Election or Missed Enrollment: What Sponsors Owe
September 28, 2026
A missed deferral election or missed enrollment is not a payroll hiccup. It is an operational failure the plan sponsor must find, fix, fund and document.
