Who Signs the Form 5500? An Employer’s 2026 Guide to Signing and Filing
Every year a plan sponsor emails us the same question in late July: “Who is actually supposed to sign the Form 5500 — me, my TPA, or my recordkeeper?” It matters more than most employers realize. The signature on a Form 5500 is a sworn statement made under penalty of perjury, and the person who […]
402(a) Named Fiduciary: What It Is and Who Holds It
ERISA 402(a) requires your plan to name a fiduciary with top-level control. Here is what the role covers, how it differs from 3(16) and 3(38), and when to outsource it.
Mastering Retirement Plan Governance: Best Practices for Compliance and Risk Reduction
Retirement plan governance is more than paperwork—it’s about protecting your business from costly compliance mistakes. Missing a crucial ERISA requirement can expose you to significant fiduciary risk and legal penalties. In this post, you’ll learn best practices to keep your plan compliant and secure, with insights drawn from Admin316’s 25 years of expertise in fiduciary […]
Defined Benefit vs Defined Contribution Plans: Key Differences
Choosing between a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution plan is one of the bigger decisions a business makes about its retirement benefits. It is not just a compliance checkbox. The choice shapes your budget, your fiduciary risk, and how secure your employees’ retirement actually looks decades from now. ERISA sets the baseline rules, […]
Government Retirement Plans: Types, Benefits & Comparisons
If you work for the government, in some way your retirement is already being planned for you. Federal workers, teachers, police officers, and city staff all fall under some kind of retirement system. Most people don’t think much about it until they’re a few years away from retiring, and by then there’s a lot of […]
The 401(k) Investment Policy Statement: Your Blueprint for Prudent Plan Governance
A 401(k) Investment Policy Statement (IPS) ensures ERISA compliance, guides fiduciaries in prudent plan governance, defines investment criteria, mandates monitoring, and supports audit readiness.
