HBS participant education services: Timely help from a safe distance

The current pandemic environment proves how unpredictable this world can be throughout a person’s career and life. That’s why the value of HANYS Benefit Services’ participant education services cannot be overstated: Being there for our clients’ employees is of paramount importance and a key measure of our success. In addition to our plan level consulting services, we offer a dedicated team of highly trained and experienced educators to assist retirement plan participants. Our salaried team members educate employees, with no conflict of interest.

Recently, our education services provided timely help for the employees at one of our New York City healthcare clients. From morning through evening, our educator hosted 30 personalized one-on-one telephonic meetings to help employees enroll in the retirement plan, update their savings rates and learn about their emergency options under the CARES Act. The employees appreciated being able to briefly escape the medical crisis and speak with an expert. Medical workers on the front line should not have the additional stress of worrying about their retirement account.

While onsite education is our primary approach, our virtual meeting formats have been essential during the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare, not-for-profit and across all industries. Our virtual formats include individual phone call meetings, video chats and live or recorded group webinars. Individual meetings can be pre-scheduled or ad-hoc and our clients’ employees can reach our educators directly. An easy-to-use online scheduling tool is available to simplify the process for our clients and their employees.

Our educators take pride in assisting with individual account questions and guiding employees with available tools and calculators on retirement readiness and financial wellness. Our educators are sometimes the only people in the financial industry that an employee will meet with throughout their entire career. We are the familiar faces that are available as they start their employment, continue throughout their career and transition to retirement.

At HBS, we will continue to remain best in class in this area of need, whether we’re onsite or meeting virtually. To learn more about our education services, please email us at hbs@hanys.org or call us at (800) 388-1963.

SECURE 2.0 Discussion Series: Session One

SECURE 2.0 provisions: What we know and what’s still up in the air The SECURE 2.0 Act, signed into law in late December 2022, has factored heavily in retirement industry discourse since the final legislation was published. As with any legislation of this depth and breadth, there’s a lot to digest and the industry takes time to adjust. Our team of experienced advisors recently met to discuss some of the more nuanced provisions of the legislation, such as changes to Roth contributions, and what they could mean for plan sponsors. Panel participants included the following HBS team members: Noah Buck, Christina Bauer-Dobias, Sean Bayne, Vincent Bocchinfuso and Kathleen Coonan. Highlights of our panel’s conversation below should serve to help guide plan sponsor thinking. On Roth employer contributions NB – In addition to deferring pre-tax or Roth, plan sponsors can now allow employer contributions to be classified as Roth, is that right? VB – Correct. This is immediately available to plan s

COVID-19: Retirement and Benefit Plan Resources

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, we are closely monitoring news and updates from top sources. We’ll be updating this section as new developments unfold. Here are several key articles and links to help plan sponsors and administrators navigate the COVID-19 impact to retirement and benefit plans: Retirement Plans 4 Key CARES Act Provisions for Retirement Plan Sponsors Markets React to Coronavirus Important Considerations for Retirement Plan Sponsors during the Coronavirus Pandemic In Fed We Trust Participant Education Services: Timely Help from a Safe Distance CRDs 100% Taxable for New York State and Local Income Tax Purposes in 2020 IRS Permits Remote Notarization of Participant Elections Employee Benefits CARES Act Expands Health Coverage Rules Understanding the Historic $2 Trillion Stimulus Package Employee Compensation and Benefits During Closures and Furloughs DOL Clarifies Exemptions to Coronavirus Paid Leave Laws Small Business Exemption to

SECURE 2.0 Discussion Series: Session Two

The retirement industry has been buzzing since the SECURE 2.0 Act was signed into law last December. This new, comprehensive legislation has sparked a lot of discussion. As with any major reform, it will take time for the industry to fully adapt and understand all its implications. Following our April 11 webinar on the first three months of the industry’s response, our team reconvened to discuss some of what we have heard from our client and vendor partners and to respond to some of the great questions we heard from attendees. Panel participants included the following HBS team members: Noah Buck, Christina Bauer-Dobias, Sean Bayne, Vincent Bocchinfuso and Kathleen Coonan. The Discussion SB – Throughout the webinar, I wanted to stress two things: 1) confusion about where to start and what is expected from plan sponsors is normal; and 2) even more than three months in, this is a developing situation and people should expect changes as time goes on. With those in mind, engagement through

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