Expect no privacy of your personal data in your 401(k), as Wall Street continues to rip off 401(k) participants through the charade of “Service Provider”, while acting as Product Peddler to fatten their profits. Many employees are confident that their health records are kept private, because the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures that strict rules are followed by all those who handle these records.

The IRS has announced the following cost of living adjustments applicable to dollar limitations for pension plans.

In 2008 the Governmental Accounting Standards Pronouncement number 45 (“GASB 45”) went into effect. Since then we’ve seen some changes in actuarial practice, but no significant changes to the accounting guideline itself. But with 2017 that changes, as GASB 45 is being eliminated and replaced with a new standard, GASB 75.

The U.S. Department of Labor conducted a 2015 study of the quality of Employee Benefit Plan (EBP) Audits for the 2011 filing year. They looked at who audits EBPs, the size of CPA firms performing them, the proportion of each CPA practice devoted to them and the overall quality of audits performed. In doing so, they found that 61% of the audits performed were in line with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). However, 39% of the audits contained major deficiencies which could jeopardize plan qualification and result in rejection of Form 5500.