Our own Richard Shea and Jack Lund recently contributed a post to the RetireSecure Blog maintained by the Pension Research Council of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The post discusses the competing rhetoric surrounding the impact of proposed financial transaction taxes on the American retirement system.
Policy
No Tax Deductions for Sexual Harassment Settlements with Non-Disclosure Agreements
By Lindsay Burke & Tom Plotkin on
Posted in Policy
Part of Our Series on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 adds a new provision to the Code, section 162(q), that eliminates deductions for settlement payments related to sexual harassment or sexual abuse “if such settlement or payment is subject to a nondisclosure requirement.”
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Institutional Investor Names the 40 Most Influential People in Pensions
By Robert Newman on
Posted in Defined Benefit Plans, Policy
Who is most influential in shaping the future of the nation’s pensions? Institutional Investor names the top 40 for 2013. The list includes politicians (such as Rahm Emanuel and two U.S. senators), actuaries, hedge fund managers, government officials, academics − and two lawyers in private practice, David Boies (for his work defending Rhode Island’s…
Electronic Disclosure: Which Way Are We Going?
By Inside Compensation on
Posted in Policy
A recent GAO Report offers interesting insight into the Department of Labor’s thinking on electronic disclosure.
For the better part of the last ten years, many plan sponsors and service providers have been pushing for more flexibility to provide required disclosures electronically. In particular, they have asked the Labor and Treasury Departments to replace an existing “opt in” regime with an “opt out” regime. Instead of requiring affirmative consent to distribute communications electronically, many plan sponsors and service providers would like the default to be electronic disclosure–with an opportunity to elect to receive paper.
In 2011, the Department of Labor issued a public request for information regarding electronic disclosures. The responses included thoughtful suggestions for moving toward an “opt out” regime while still ensuring that important communications are actually received. The Department has not formally taken action in response to the RFI, but comments included in the GAO report offer insight into the Department’s thinking.
The GAO report summarizes the existing Labor and Treasury rules on electronic disclosure, and offers three suggestions for improvement:…
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