Employer News | July 2018

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In This Issue

Upcoming Seminars

Forms

Contact

Audit Section
(907) 465-5707

Financial Education and Advice Services
(800) 232-0859

Member Services Counseling Services
(907) 465-4460

Member Services Contact Center
(907) 465-4460

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Employer Services

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JULY 2018 | VOLUME #154


New Employee Plan Information

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When onboarding new employees, employers are required to either,

  • download a copy of the applicable PERS Handbook from our web site; or
  • provide new employees with the link and time to review the booklet. 

This is the best opportunity for employees to learn about their retirement plans.

The Division is working on a Plan Summary document that will provide highlights of the plan for new employees and will be available this fall for employers to distribute as well.

With either the Defined Benefit or Defined Contribution plans, employers provide a valuable retirement benefit to their employees. However, this benefit is of little value to the employee if they don’t know anything about it. In our experience, once new employees learn about the PERS Defined Contribution Plan, they are satisfied. But if they are left to learn about the plan from their Defined Benefit co-workers, they hear that the plan is insufficient. These Defined Benefit co-workers are not aware of the plan provisions and are giving erroneous information. This leads to dissatisfaction on the part of the new employee and impairs retention. Help us, help you retain good employees by providing the plan information booklet at the time of hire. We will continue to develop tools to help you accomplish this. 


Employer Website Redesign

Man Designing Website

The Division has undertaken a redesign of its entire website, including the Employer Resources page. As part of the new design, the Benefit and Enrollment information will be grouped to provide easier access for employers. If you would like to preview and provide input on the Employer Resources page design, please contact Chief Pension Officer, Kathy Lea at kathy.lea@alaska.gov or (907) 465-3226.


EmCon 2018—Better Together

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The Division of Retirement and Benefits will be holding its biannual Employer Conference October 3 through 5, 2018. 

The Historic Westmark Baranof Hotel in Juneau will host the conference once again, with seminars and workshops to be held both at the hotel and at Division offices.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

7-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:30-8:45 a.m. Welcome/Announcements
8:45-10 a.m. Keynote Speaker - Financially Fit
10:15-11 a.m. Better Together
11 a.m.-12 p.m. Regional Group Discussion
12-1:15 p.m. Hosted Lunch/Commissioner's Office Speaker

1:15-2:30 p.m. Teacher Certification
2:30-3:30 p.m. DCR Plan Presentation-ER Perspective
3:45-4:45 p.m. Marketing the DCR Plan to Attract and Retain Employees

Breakout Sessions-Employer Services Hands-On
10:15-11:45 a.m. & 12:45-2:15 p.m. Annex Training Room

Thursday, October 4, 2018

7-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:30-9 a.m. Welcome/Announcements
9-10:15 a.m. Deferred Compensation-Join the State Plan
10:30-11:30 a.m. Developing an Employee Financial Wellness Program
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch on your own

1-2:15 p.m. Financial Wellness Reviews and Services
2:15-3:15 p.m. Updates
3:30-4 p.m. Compensation and Contribution Limits
4-4:30 p.m. Importance of Correct Reporting

Breakout Sessions-Employer Services Hands-On
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. & 1-2 p.m. Annex Training Room

Friday, October 5, 2018

8-9 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9-10:15 a.m. Highlights of Audit Findings
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. 2018 Most Common Audit Issues

12-1 p.m. Lunch on your own
1-2:30 p.m. IRS Presentation
2:30-3:30 p.m. SSA Presentation
3:45-4:30 p.m. Audit Round-table

Plan ahead—registration for EmCon 2018 begins in August!

The Division of Retirement and Benefits is negotiating for discounts on airfare for conference attendees, please look for more information in next month's Employer News. 

We invite employers to contact us regarding topics they would like to see presented. Contact Kathy Lea, Chief Pension Officer, at kathy.lea@alaska.gov or (907) 465-3226.