The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was established in 1974 to protect the interests of employees by regulating employer-sponsored retirement plans, including pension plans, 401(k) plans, and health insurance plans. One of the key components of ERISA is its enforcement mechanisms, which include penalties for non-compliance. These penalties are designed to incentivize employers to...
At an orientation session for my first real job out of college, many (many) years ago, an HR manager explained to our new hire class the benefit of investing in the company 401(k) plan. For a 20-something living paycheck to paycheck, seeing any dollar amount, no matter how small, disappear into an investment vehicle instead…
Comparing three of the most common tax-advantaged benefits: Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Health Savings Account (HSA) Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) Choosing the account that best fits your needs is essential for getting the most out of your benefits during the plan year, but it can also impact the future. Let’s take a closer look. What…
Flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA) are creatures of the federal tax code, which is notoriously complicated. To try to make things easier, we in the benefits industry sometimes use shorthand, but sometimes these only complicate things further, especially to those unfamiliar with benefits suchs as FSAs and HSAs. Especially confusing are…