Uncashed Distribution Checks: A Plan Sponsor’s Tracking and Escheatment Playbook
August 28, 2026
Uncashed distribution checks remain plan assets and remain a fiduciary responsibility. Here is how plan sponsors track, search, reissue and document them.
QDROs: What Plan Sponsors Must Do When a Domestic Relations Order Arrives
August 27, 2026
A domestic relations order is a fiduciary event, not a paperwork errand. Here is the sponsor’s review, segregation and payment procedure.
Plan Document Restatements: What Sponsors Sign and Why It Matters
August 26, 2026
Restatement packets arrive looking like housekeeping. They are the legal terms of your 401(k) plan. Here is what plan sponsors should check before signing.
Plan Document vs. Operations vs. Notices: What Happens When Your 401(k) Records Disagree
August 24, 2026
Most 401(k) audit findings trace back to one thing: the plan document, day-to-day operations and participant notices describing three different plans. Here is how plan sponsors reconcile them.
Forfeiture Accounts: How Sponsors Must Use Them and When
August 23, 2026
Forfeiture accounts are a fiduciary decision, not a parking lot. Here is how plan sponsors should use, time and document forfeitures under their plan document.
Missing Participants: What Sponsors Must Do Before Forfeiting or Distributing
August 22, 2026
A missing participant is a fiduciary problem, not a mailroom problem. Here is the search, documentation and distribution path plan sponsors should follow before forfeiting or cashing out an account.
Controlled Groups and Affiliated Service Groups: When Another Entity Joins Your 401(k) Plan
August 21, 2026
Controlled group and affiliated service group rules decide which employees must be counted in your 401(k) testing. Here is what plan sponsors must verify and document.
Switching 401(k) Providers Mid-Year: The Sponsor’s Transition Checklist
August 20, 2026
A plan sponsor’s transition checklist for switching 401(k) providers mid-year: what converts, what breaks, and which fiduciary duties never move.
Employee Benefit Plan Committee Charters: A Plan Sponsor’s Starter Guide
August 19, 2026
A benefit plan committee charter turns informal 401(k) decision-making into a documented fiduciary process. Here is what to put in one, how to run meetings, and what you can delegate.
Hardship Withdrawals and Loans: What Plan Sponsors Must Document
August 18, 2026
Hardship withdrawal documentation and participant loan records are the files auditors ask for first. Here is what plan sponsors must collect, retain and reconcile.
