Summer ATConnection 2018

Connection

Summer 2018

PARTICIPANT COMMUNICATION DELIVERY SERVICES

Coming 2018!

We realize delivering participant notices can be very time consuming and now we have a great solution for you. To make the administration of your retirement plan easier than ever, we will be offering participant communication delivery services for notices and required disclosures. More to come soon!

Interactive Online Experience

ATFutureBuilder is now active on the American Trust website at americantrustretirement.com! This new, effective experience educates your participants about the importance of enrolling in and staying engaged with their retirement plan. It guides them through a personalized, interactive experience that provides information about your retirement plan in an easy-to-understand format.

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Log into your retirement account to begin this experience. Click here for additional information.

895 Main Street | Dubuque, IA 52001 | 800.548.2995 | www.americantrustretirement.com

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

Form 5500 Filing Info What is the form 5500? It is a form filed each year to the Department of Labor (DOL) which details the plan specifications. It includes participant count, plan design information, and funding details, etc. When does the Form 5500 need to be filed? The DOL requires plans to file their Form 5500 by the last date of the seventh month following the end of the plan year. If an extension is filed, the deadline is extended by two and a half months.

Examples: Plan year-end: 12/31/2017 5500 Deadline: 7/31/2018 5500 deadline with extension: 10/15/2018 Plan year-end: 3/31/2018 5500 Deadline: 10/31/2018 5500 Deadline with extension: 1/15/2019

Extensions are filed by American Trust Retirement for plans approaching the 7/31/2018 deadline. Filed extensions are automatically approved by the IRS.

Did You Know? §3(16) Fiduciary Services

American Trust now offers §3(16) fiduciary signing services for the Form 5500, providing you the opportunity to outsource the annual responsibility of signing and filing the Form 5500. Contact your relationship manager for more information.

National 401(k) Day coming September!

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.

Is there a timeframe for how long I should keep old files? Based on guidance from the IRS, the answer is indefinitely. An article from the IRS states that records, including participant records, need to be maintained until plan assets have been paid out and enough time has passed that the plan will not be audited. So, basically, until the plan dissolves, plus additional years following. Our Client Services team is always happy to answer any questions. Just call 800.548.2995.

Click here to view more information on Maintaining Your Retirement Plan Records.

What meetings can your education team provide our plan participants? We have a variety of presentations ranging from Retirement Planning 101 to Understanding your Online Account, and we will accommodate times, dates, and we can tailor topics to you and your employees. This is a free service, so use our knowledge and resources to better prepare your employees for retirement.

Click here to view our library of presentations.

In the next ATConnection… year-end procedures and a glimpse into 2019.

American Trust Earns 27 Best in Class Awards

American Trust Retirement was recognized nationally for excellence in the 2017 Defined Contribution (DC) Survey by PLANSPONSOR magazine. Each year, the magazine conducts a survey recognizing the top retirement plan providers in the nation based on the quality of participant and plan sponsor services. Recordkeepers are rated in the various market categories they serve, and benchmark information is collected for plan sponsors to gauge their plans against their peers. As a top provider in the nation, American Trust achieved the following: • Awarded the Silver Award of Excellence in the “$5 million to $25 million” market for plan sponsor satisfaction– receiving 17 Best in Class awards • Received a combined total of 27 PLANSPONSOR Best in Class Awards in the “less than $5 million” and “$5 million to $25 million” markets • Received the second highest percentage in the Plan Administration and Sponsor Services categories in the “$5 million to $25 million market” • Received 247 Best In Class Awards since 2008

QUARTERLY CALENDAR

August • Begin preparing for the distribution of the plan’s Summary Annual Report (SAR) and Annual Fee Disclosure to participants, terminated participants with an account balance, and eligible participants not enrolled

September • Send a reminder email or memo to all employees to review and update their beneficiary information

• 401(k) Day All week! September 4-7: we will provide materials for you to distribute to your employees

• Discuss plan amendment requests with your relationship manager and/or advisor.

• Send a reminder email or memo to all employees to encourage them to participate or increase their contributions into the plan. Small changes can make a big difference in saving for retirement

WEB RESOURCES

Employee Benefits Institute of America, Inc. www.ebia.com Employee Benefit Research Institute www.ebri.org American Trust Retirement www.americantrustretirement.com

PLANSPONSOR Magazine www.plansponsor.com BenefitsLink www.benefitslink.com Plan Sponsor Council of America www.psca.org

Internal Revenue Service, Employee Plans www.irs.gov/ep Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration www.dol.gov/ebsa 401(k) Help Center www.401khelpcenter.com