Retirement Plan Fundamentals Certificate

Module 1: Qualified Plan Basics

• • Why employers offer retirement plans and how employees participate
  • Regulatory framework and qualified plan status
  • Setting up a retirement plan
  • Plan types and their pros and cons
  • Working with service providers

Module 4: Understanding Distribution Rules and Responsibilities

• • Distributable events and the distribution process
  • Allowable distribution amounts and payment forms
  • Required minimum distributions (RMDs)
  • Hardship distributions

Module 2: Navigating a Qualified Retirement Plan

• • Eligibility and employee exclusions
  • Employee contribution elections
  • Plan entry as employees are hired and depart
  • Key parts of the plan document

Module 5: Setting Up and Administering Participant Loans

• • Loan program requirements
  • Determining loan eligibility
  • Calculating the maximum loan amount
  • Repayment and loan defaults
  • Pros and cons of offering loans

Module 3: Plan Design: Eligibility, Enrollment, and Contributions

• • Tracking eligibility and calculating entry dates
  • Eligibility vs participation
  • Contribution types and participant options
  • Tracking and transferring employee money
  • Valuing and investing account balances
  • Reviewing employee data for errors

Module 6: Compliance: Testing, Limits, and Corrective Actions

• • Highly compensated employees (HCEs)
  • Coverage testing
  • Annual contribution limits
  • Nondiscrimination testing (ADP/ACP) and failed tests
  • Top-heavy plans
  • ERISA Title I, reporting, and disclosures