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Something Spring
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, May 31, 2000

Ahh, Spring! That wonderful season when the days get longer and warmer,
the trees bud, the flowers bloom, and life in general seems to start anew.
As we welcome this rejuvenating energy into our lives this season, plan
trustees can extend it to the workplace. Now is the perfect time to
reorganize and reprioritize retirement plan issues with trustees' meeting
for the 401(k) plan. Here is a simple checklist to guide you through the
process.

Finding a Needle in a Haystack
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, May 11, 2000

Admittedly, no one would ever mistake me for a computer pro, and I'm not
one to spend hours surfing the Web. But I do know that among all the
useless junk on the Internet, there are some real gems. Thus, I devote
this article to sharing with you a few of my favorite retirement related
sites; those that are always useful, and always current.

Is it really that SIMPLE?
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, April 26, 2000

Competing with "the big guys" has never been easy for the small business
employer with 100 employees or less, and this holds true on the retirement
plan front. Small businesses can't compete with the intricate defined
contribution and defined benefit plans used by large companies to woo new
employees. But this doesn't mean small businesses should be out of the
race altogether. On the contrary, although benefits may not match
apples-to-apples, the availability of a retirement plan will bear weight
in a prospective employee's decision.

Hand in Hand
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, April 14, 2000

Over the past few weeks my articles have addressed techniques for making
employees interested in, and hopefully knowledgeable about, their 401(k)
plan. If you've followed through with my recommendations, congratulations,
you have laid the bait. Now that your employees are biting, let's hook
'em.

Scare Their Pants Off
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, March 16, 2000

In my work I speak to plan sponsors and investment committees of plans
both large and small, spanning a vast array of industries. Yet they all
pose the same question, "How do I boost plan participation and
contributions?" My answer is always the same; put your plan on a diet. By
this I mean, set your goals and develop a strategy. To jump start your
efforts, I will focus this article on the first of three methods which,
when combined, have proven successful to my clients.

Savings Strategies for an Unconventional Family
By Carlye Adler
Managing Your Future, Spring 2000

When Bobbie Hefferman was 12, she opened her purse and a moth flew out. Her brother, who always accused her of being a miser, thought that was a riot. It showed, he said, how infrequently she went to her wallet.

Guessing Games
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, February 29, 2000

Just $1.00 and a good notion as to the number of jellybeans in a large jar and you could be this year’s winner of the church bazaar’s grand prize! With nothing more than a charitable dollar to lose, this is a good time for making a random guess. The same does not hold true for retirement assets.

Show Me The Money
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, February 16, 2000

The Yiddish term kvetch is used to describe a constant and annoying complainer. We all know one or more such persons and may find it difficult to deal with them. Unfortunately, if you represent your firm's retirement plan, you may be called upon from time to time to respond to complaints from the "company kvetch".

Small Plans Big Demands
By Frances Denmark
Plan Sponsor Magazine, January 2000
Micro-size and start-up plans have long been treated like second-class citizens when it comes to 401(k) pricing and service. But the tables are beginning to turn..

Is it time to fire your 401(k) provider?
By Roxanne Fleszar
Plan Sponsor Magazine, November 1999
Because breaking up can be hard to do, the following tips can help you to decide whether it is really time for a change.

Easing a Plan Transition:  Tips for Employers
By Robert Pruter
Employee Benefit Plan Review, October 1999
When an employer decides to switch 401(k) plan providers, it confronts a plethora of difficult issues, problems, and administrative tasks, starting with the request-for-proposal (RFP) process and continuing through the transition to the new plan.

Managing a 401(k) Plan: Five steps for avoiding litigation
By Roxanne Fleszar
The Fabricator, September 1999
Liability.  We are all tired of the word and its implications, but from hot coffee to tobacco, every product is a potential liability, and 401(k) plans are no exception.

Stocks in Common:  A Diversification Breach?
By Bruce Shutan
Employee Benefit News, August 1999
Holding some of the best performaing blue-chip stock offerings that 401(k) money can buy may seem like a slam-dunk move, but it could spell doom on diversification.

Confusion Reigns When it Comes to 401(k) Plan Fees
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, July 26, 1999
Nearly 80% of plan sponsors do not know how much their plan costs are, according to the Department of Labor's 1998 "Study of 401(k) Plan Fees and Expenses."

Limited Diversification of Stocks in Top Equity Funds Poses Problem for 401(k) Participants
By Roxanne Fleszar
Pension Benefits, July 1999
We reviewed the holdings of the equity offerings of three top mutual fund company 401(k) providers.  The results were both surprising and unnerving.

Bells and Whistles Aren't Free: Disclosing 401(k) Plan Fees
By Roxanne Fleszar
Journal of Management in Engineering, July/August 1999
What every employer and employee should know about their plan's expenses.

Do Your 401(k) Funds Suffer From Overlap?
By Adam Shell
Investor's Business Daily, May 24, 1999
"Owning Lots Of Funds Doesn't Guarantee Right Asset Mix."   Is there really diversification in your retirement plan's mix of asset?  This article may surprise you!

Max Out on Your 401(k)
By Mary Beth Franklin
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, May 1999
"Having the best intentions is good, but making the most of your plan is better.   Much better.  Here's how to make your 401(k) a superhighway to retirement security."

Empowered Employees
By Jeannie Mandelker
CFO, April 1999
With never ending technological and legal changes in the defined contribution industry, plan sponsors are struggling to meet employees' needs.  This excerpt reviews the benefit of offering participants' personalized rates of return.

What sponsors should be aware of
By Roxanne E. Fleszar, CFP, ChFC
401kWire, March 24, 1999
Solutions to four of the biggest problems facing plan sponsors.

Managed options reduce asset allocation guesswork
By Roxanne E. Fleszar, CFP,ChFC
Employee Benefit News, March 1999
Make your participants' elections simple, but make them count!

Document This
By Virginia Munger Kahn
Business Finance, January 1999
"Pension plans that lack a written investment policy statement may impair consistent decision-making and jeopardize long-term goals."

TSC Fund Forum: Should I Participate in an Annuity-Only 403(b) Plan?
By Dagen McDowell
TheStreet.com, December 22, 1998
Remember to include the tax benefits and, if available, employer matching contributions when weighing the value of your company’s 403(b) or 401(k) plan.

Crossing the Line
By Jeannie Mandelker
CFO Magazine, December 1998
"More 401(k) plan sponsors are taking investment education a big step further by offering employees advice".

Funds of Funds:  Simplifying 401(k) Investments
By Randy Myers
Nations Business, November 1998
Multifunds are paving the way to a simpler, more effective 401(k) plan.  Take a look at the options available, and how your plan could benefit.

Learning the ABCs
By Donald Jay Korn
Financial Planning, November 1998
Do you know your investment ABCs?  This article takes a close look at the varying share classes, and how they are best used.

Defined Contribution Consulting's Next Wave
By Julie Ann Maggio
Plan Sponsor Magazine, October 1998
The new breed of defined contribution consultants are popping up as small, independent, and very knowledgeable firms.  Read on to see what these firms can do for your plan.

Are "Bells & Whistles" Cutting into Your Employees'
Rate of Return
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, October 29, 1998
Is adding all the latest plan services always the best way to serve participants' interests?  Not if you haven't first compared cost to value!

Hot on the 401(k) Fee Trail (Part Two of a Series)
By Virginia Munger Kahn
Business Finance Magazine, October 1998
Learn how your company can save dramatically on pension plan recordkeeping and investment management fees, without putting the plan up for bid.

Is Your 401(k) Plan Hiding Serious Flaws?
By Roxanne Fleszar
The Boston Business Journal, August 12, 1998
Design your 401(k) plan to reduce company liability and lure prospective new employees. This article reviews the benefits of adopting an Investment Policy Statement for your plan.

How To Properly Compare 401(k) Vendor Proposals
By Roxanne Fleszar
401kWire, August 6, 1998
Reveal hidden fees and uncover available services up front by comparing proposals on an "apples-to-apples" basis. Find out which questions to ask in this must read for companies planning to initiate or change an existing plan.

Five Questions To Ask Of Funds After Screening For Performance
By Paul Katzeff
Investor's Business Daily, April 24, 1998
A fund can only perform as well as its manager. Once you have reduced your list of fund options based on performance, read on to discover how to rate the fund manager and better understand the fund's policy on risk and objectives.