In the News

When changing employers, individuals and their new retirement plan administrators have faced a time-consuming administrative process in proving the tax status of a plan rollover. And instead of dealing with the hurdles to validate a rollover, many individuals would transfer savings into individual retirement accounts or cash out the balance.

A New Jersey federal district court judge recently ruled that the pension plan of city-based Saint Peter’s University Hospital is not a "church plan" exempt from the protections of federal pension law.

On Monday, a U.S. District Court in New Jersey dismissed a motion by Saint Peter's Healthcare System, New Brunswick, N.J., to stop a lawsuit by pension plan participants challenging a recent ruling by the IRS that it was a church plan exempt from ERISA. The IRS determination, wrote Judge Michael Shipp, "conflicts with the plain text of the statute and is therefore unreasonable."

Many who are planning their retirement need someplace to start — a list to begin their thinking. The information in this article is just such a list and includes links to relevant content to help in this planning.