Info

401(k) Fridays Podcast

The 401(k) Fridays Podcast features a weekly conversation with an expert guest to help employers and their service partners keep up with workplace retirement plan topics and trends. Listen today, improve your retirement plan tomorrow!
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
401(k) Fridays Podcast
2023
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: May, 2021
May 21, 2021

You are probably wondering, first, how do you possibly make a full episode out of retirement plan document restatements and other related topics, and second, how do you make it interesting? Well, when you have Alison Cohen, ERISA Attorney and Partner at the Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, it is a piece of cake! Not much description need on this one, but plenty of good nuggets of info and best practices. Also, Alison mentioned a "Record Retention Policy Statement" which you can find a link to in the show notes. 

 

 

Before we get started, if you have been enjoying the podcast please leave a review or rating on your favorite podcast service or app. That feeds the crazy algorithms and helps more people find the podcast. 

 

Guest Bio

Alison is a Partner with Ferenczy Benefits Law Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She advises clients on many issues related to qualified retirement plans, including design, mergers and acquisitions, audits, and operational issues. Alison commonly works with clients that have operational issues to guide them through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and/or Department of Labor (DOL) corrective programs, prepare corrective filings, and prepare and support clients through an audit conducted by the IRS and/or DOL.

Alison is a member of the Georgia and California State Bars. Prior to joining Ferenczy Benefits Law Center, Alison worked at a large bundled service provider for nearly 16 years as an Associate Vice President, Compliance Manager and Regulatory Liaison. As part of her responsibilities there, Alison served as a national speaker on audit and correction issues. She served on the Employee Plans Subcommittee of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax-Exempt and Governmental Entities (ACT).

Alison has been actively involved with the National Institute of Pension Administration (NIPA) serving as a speaker, author, and developer/teacher, and received NIPA’s Excellence in Education Award in 2019. The award recognizes outstanding educators within the national membership who have made significant contributions and improvements to NIPA’s educational programs.   She holds designations as an Accredited Pension Administrator (APA) and Accredited Pension Representative (APR) from NIPA.  Alison is also the current President of the Pension Education Council of Atlanta. In 2019, Alison assumed co-authorship of “ERISA: A Comprehensive Guide,” along with Ilene H. Ferenczy.

 

401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview

Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over 200 prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!

May 7, 2021

What a treat, today I am please to welcome Preston Rutledge, Founder and Principal of the Rutledge Policy group and previously Assistant Secretary of Labor for the EBSA and prior to that, senior tax and benefits counsel for Chairman Orrin Hatch on the US Senate Finance Committee. During our conversation we hit on a few good stories from his civil service days, talk about the concepts behind the SECURE Act and where we go from here, potential tax changes and the impact on retirement plans and much more. Definitely a good one to check out and share!

 

On that note, if you have been enjoying the podcast, please do take a minute to mention to a friend, colleague or networking group. As our audience continues to grow, it makes it easier for me to find high quality guests like Preston. 

 

That’s it, I hope your enjoy our conversation!

 

Guest Bio

Preston Rutledge is the Founder and Principal of Rutledge Policy Group, LLC. With an uncommon combination of expertise both in legal and tax matters, he is a sought-after consultant and speaker in the areas of retirement, health plans, taxation, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. 

Prior to founding Rutledge Policy Group, Preston was the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). At EBSA, he led the drafting and publication of guidance to implement retirement, health, and workplace benefits policies and oversaw a nationwide team of over 800 employee benefits professionals. In international affairs, Preston led the U.S Delegation on private pension policy at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. Preston was a member of the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee, and served as Chair of the OECD Working Party on Private Pensions. Preston also worked closely with the OECD affiliated International Organization of Pension Supervisors (IOPS). 

Before joining the Department of Labor, Preston served as senior tax and benefits counsel for Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) on the Majority Tax Staff of the US Senate Finance Committee. Preston had the retirement, non-profit, and insurance tax portfolio during tax reform in 2017, and he drafted the Chairman’s primary retirement initiatives: the Secure Annuities for Employee (SAFE) Retirement Act and the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act (RESA). RESA became the SECURE Act, the most sweeping reform of retirement savings policy in over a decade. 

Prior to joining the Finance Committee, Preston served as a senior tax law specialist for retirement and non-profit policy on the Headquarters Staff of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division of the Internal Revenue Service. Earlier in his career he served as a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked in private law practice as an employee benefits counselor and ERISA litigator. 

Preston earned a BS in business, cum laude, from the University of Idaho; JD, with high honors, from the George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review; and an LLM – taxation, with distinction, including a certificate in employee benefits law, from the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school Preston was a Naval Officer, and served on the U.S.S. Bagley (FF-1069) 

 

401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview

Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over 200 prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!

1