A recent IRS Issue Snapshot affirms a retirement plan participant loan is a legally enforceable agreement and terms of the loan agreement must comply with Internal Revenue Code (IRC Section 72(p)(2) and Treasury Regulation Section 1.72(p)-1). The terms of the loan agreement must be explicit in writing or deliverable electronically, and a loan in default is considered to be a deemed distribution. Learn more.

You lead a busy life and the danger of identity theft may not feel so urgent, so it's not a priority on your to-do list. Sound familiar? If you haven't found the motivation to address this issue, try breaking it down into smaller action steps. Each step taken toward protecting yourself against identity theft is a brick in a wall you build around the achievement of your future financial goals. Learn more.

Hockey's hat trick tradition is perhaps the most unique tradition in all of professional sports. For those of you that may not follow the National Hockey League as closely as other sports, a hat trick is when one player scores three goals in one game. To honor the player's performance, the hockey fans in the stands will then throw their hats onto the ice.

The stock market’s version of hockey’s hat trick is the double-digit performance of the S&P 500 over the past three years: 2021 = 28.70% | 2020 = 18.40% | 2019 = 31.49%. Read more of our analysis of 4Q2021 and a look ahead to 2022.

With the new year comes new resolutions and goals. If you're looking to get your financial house in order in 2022, don't forget to focus on your Return on Life. Learn what steps to take to help your financial goals become reality.

If you're a business owner or entrepreneur, your business is your greatest asset. Not only do you invest your time and talent into growing your business, it takes significant capital too. But did you know less than 2% of businesses actually take the time to value themselves annually? Whether it’s simply due to a lack of time or expertise, today's business owners don't do a deep-dive analysis into their businesses every year, which results in a significant number of them being undercapitalized. Learn what you can do to keep your business operating at its full potential.

The collection of stories and experiences throughout each of our lives make up who we are today as well as help shape our decisions for the future. Very often, we don’t realize just how much a certain experience or encounter may have impacted us, until someone points to it or draws it out of us. As adults, the way we view the world and make decisions for ourselves and family members may originate from how we were raised, work or educational experiences, or social interactions with friends and neighbors.

Our experiences with finances are no different. Sometimes we are very cavalier about those unique lessons learned we have gained over the years in regards to money. Believe it or not, our past experiences with money, or the lack thereof, have likely shaped our beliefs and how we choose to handle our own money today and in the future...we call this our Fiscalosophy. Learn why understanding your own Fiscalosophy is so important to your financial future.

In April 2021, the Department of Labor issued its first guidance on cybersecurity for plan sponsors, service providers, and participants. It did so at the behest of the Government Office of Accountability (GAO). That agency has been pushing the Department to identify minimum standards for mitigating cybersecurity risks in benefit plans. Learn more about the minimum standards for plan fiduciaries and service providers in mitigating cyber threats.

Here we discuss the need for up-to-date beneficiary designations. As a fiduciary best practice, we encourage beneficiary designations to be captured electronically. Learn more.

As professionals, we monitor the progression of proposed tax law changes that might have significant impact on our clients’ planning. In most instances, monitoring is a futile endeavor. This year’s proposed tax changes are no exception. Here's what you need to know about 2022 tax law changes.