Cash Balance Plans Part 2: Five Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions
Fall is in the air and we are officially creeping towardsthe end of the year. If you are abusiness owner or a partner, this is typically the time of year when your retirementplan crosses your mind. Whether you needa minor tweak or a major overhaul, your retirement plan strategy is worth areview before the end of the year to make sure you are doing all you can tomeet the needs of your own retirement, your employee’s needs, and your company’sobjectives.
As you are thinking about your plan design, cash balanceplans should be on your radar (if they aren’t already). Cash balance plans are increasing in numberRAPIDLY in the retirement plan world due to their benefits for owners,employees, and companies alike.
To jumpstart your knowledge of these kinds of plans, we’ve put together the "Five Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions" about these types of plans.
1. We have a 401(k). Why would I want a cash balance plan?
Currently, cash balance plans are known tobe one of the best tax strategies for business owners. Business owners typically love cash balanceplans for two main reasons:
Cash balance allows them to “turbocharge” their own retirement plan savings and also contribute to their employee’s retirement savings. These plans have significantly higher deductible contribution limits than a classic 401(k) or 401(k) with profit sharing (for example, the current limit is $59,000 for a classic 401(k) with profit sharing, but could go up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if an owner combines it with a cash balance plan based upon the owner’s age).
The money they invest in the cash balance plan is a company tax deduction, which can save significant amounts of money.
2. How does a cash balance plan work?
Each year, the employer is required to contribute to participant accounts (there is no participant contribution in these types of plans). The account grows each year based upon the principal credits from the employer AND an interest credit at the rate defined in the plan document. The balance represents the benefit to which each employee is entitled.
The amount of the benefit can also vary among owners and their employees. Owners typically participate at a much higher level than their employees.
3. How is a cash balance plan different from a 401k or a Profit Sharing Plan?
From the participant side, the cash balance plan looks very similar to a 401(k) account. The account grows each year with the employer contribution plus interest. The main difference is this is known as a defined benefit plan – meaning the benefit outlined in the plan document is guaranteed at retirement - rather than a defined contribution plan, in which the employee is investing funds to save for retirement.
4. Can I vest my employees in a cash balance plan? What happens when they leave?
Yes, you can create a vesting schedule for employees. You can tier it to incentivize retention with the full vesting occurring no later than three years after employment.
If an employee leaves, participants can roll over or take a cash distribution of their vested account balance. It is portable.
5. How is the interest rate set and what types of investments are in this plan?
The interest rates are set in the plan document – typically, they hover between 3% and 5%.
Because the interest rate outlined in the plan document is part of the benefit to employees, the investments should produce as close of a return to that as possible. If there is an excess return, it decreases the amount the employer can contribute. If there is a lower return, the difference can be amortized over seven years to make up the difference to employees.
Ten years ago, we developed Target Risk portfolios to serve clients on both the wealth management side of our business and the 401(k) side. Our conservative and moderate conservative portfolios were designed with the returns in a cash balance plan in mind.
To find out if this type of plan might be good for you and your business, please reach out by completing a quick form here.