Lesson 2 of Retirement Planning: Pension Plans and Profit Sharing Plans Flashcards
What amounts for Pension Plans PBGC amounts are not provided on the CFP Board Exam
PBGC Monthly Benefit at Age 65 = $6,750
PGBC Yearly Benefit at Age 65 = $81,000
Not provided on the CFP Exam
Pensions Plans!
Background of Pension Plans?
Pension Plan Characteristics
Defined Benefit Pension Plans vs. Defined Contribution Pension Plans
Defined Benefit Pension Plans
Cash Balance Pension Plans
Money Purchase Pension Plans
Target Benefit Pension Plans
Background of Pension Plans
Traditional Pension Plan
Legal Promise of a Pension Plan
Traditional Pension Plans Promise a Defined Benefit Amount
Traditional Pension Plan
The traditional pension plan pays a formula-determined benefit beginning at retirement, usually in the form of an annuity, to a plan participant’s remaining life.
Legal Promise of a Pension Plan?
Legal Promise = To Pay a Pension
4 Types of Pension Plans
Defined Benefit Pension Plans:
- Defined Benefit Pension Plans
- Cash Balance Pension Plans
Defined Contribution Pension Plans:
- Money Purchase Pension Plans
- Target Benefit Pension Plans
Traditional Pension Plans Promise a Defined Benefit Amount
Traditional pension plans promise a certain defined benefit amount available at the time of a participant’s retirement.
- This benefit, the present value of which can be calculated at any given time during the employee’s service, is most commonly based on a combination of the participant’s years of service with the company and the participant’s salary. An example of a common pension plan benefit formula is illustrated below (percent per year, years of service, and salary used can vary based on plan documents):
Formula for “Annual Pension Benefit Amount”
An example of a common pension plan benefit formula is illustrated below (percent per year, years of service, and salary used can vary based on plan documents):
Example of Annual Pension Benefit Amount
Assume that Jack works for XYZ company, which sponsors a a defined benefit plan with a ben-
efit formula of 1.5 percent times the years of service times the final salary. Assuming that Jack
worked for XYZ for 40 years and that his final salary is $100,000, he would be entitled to an
annual benefit of
$60,000 per year (1.5% × 40 x $100,000) during retirement. If Jack were to live for 30 years in retirement. XYZ would have to pay a total of $1.8 million in retirement benefts to Jack. (Note that pension benetits are not normally adjusted tor inflation)
Exam Question
A company’s defined benefit pension plan utilizes a funding formula that considers years of service and average compensation to determine the pension benefit payable to the plan participants If Brenda is a participant in this defined benefit pension plan and she has 30 years of service with the company and average compensation of $75,000, what is the maximum pension benefit that can be payable to Brenda at her retirement?
a) $18,000
b) $54,000
c) $75,000
d) $265,000.
Answer: C
The maximum amount payable from a defined benefit pension plan is the lesser of $265,000
(2023) or 100 percent of the average of the employee’s three highest consecutive years compensation. Because the average of Brenda’s compensation is $75,000, she would be limited to
receiving a pension benefit at her retirement of $75,000
Pension Plan Characteristics
Government Requirements + PGBC
Mandatory Funding:
- Defined Benefit Plans
- Defined Contribution Pension Plans
Disallowance of In-Service Withdrawals
Limited Investment in Employer Securities
Limited Investment in Life Insurance:
- 25 Percent Test
- 100-to-1 Ratio Test
Government Requirements + PGBC
For qualified pension plans, the government requires:
- mandatory annual funding,
- disallows most in-service withdrawals,
- limits the investment of the plan assets in the employer’s securities, and
- limits the investment of the plan assets in life insurance.
In addition, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) was established to
provide additional protection to lower-wage participants of defined benefit plans.
Mandatory Funding - Defined Benefit Plan
The mandatory funding requirements help ensure that the future benefits promised by the defined benefit formula in the plan document are sufficiently funded and that the employer only deducts (shelters from tax) the amount necessary to fund the future promised benefit.
Mandatory Funding - Defined Contribution Pension Plan
The mandatory funding requirements for a defined contribution pension plan, either a money purchase pension plan or a target benefit pension plan:
- require that the plan sponsor fund the plan annually with an amount as defined in the plan document.
Disallowance of In-Service Withdrawals
An in-service withdrawal is any withdrawal from the plan while the employee is a participant in the
plan other than a loan.
- Plan loans are not in-service withdrawals because they are required to be paid back. Although loans are allowed by the IRC, most pension plans do not permit plan loans because the contributions are primarily funded by the employer.
Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, defined benefit pension plans can now provide for in-service distributions to participants who are age 59 1/2 (as amended) or older. This in-service distribution can take the form of a bona fide phased retirement benetit
Limited Investment in Employer Securities
The assets of a pension plan may be invested in the securties of the employer/plan sponsor BUT the aggregate value of the employer securities cannot exceed 10 percent of the fair market value of the pension plan assets at the time the employer securties are purchased.
- Employer securities are any securities issued by the plan sponsor or an affiliate of the plan sponsor, including stocks, bonds, and publicly traded partnership interests.
In addition to the 10 percent limitation, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 requires defined
contribution plans holding publicly traded employer securities to allow plan participants to diversify their pretax deterrals after-tax contrbutions, and employer contributions. The employer must offer a choice of at least three investment options, other than employer securities.
Limited Investment in Life Insurance
Any qualified plan may purchase life insurance. As long as life insurance is not the primary focus of the plan, the government allows this exception from the ultimate retirement benefit promise because the death benefit of the life insurance policy is payable to the employee’s spouse and other survivors at the employee’s death.
Premiums paid by the employer for the life insurance policy, however, are taxable to the employee at the time of payment, to the extent of the Table I cost of insurance.
To maintain its qualified plan status, a qualified plan that includes life insurance must pass either:
- (1) the 25 percent test or
- (2) the 100-to-I ratio test.
25/50 Percent Test
The 25 percent test consists of two tests, a 25 percent test and a 50 percent test. The test used
depends upon the type of life insurance provided by the plan.
If a term insurance or universal life insurance policy is purchased within the qualified plan, the
aggregate premiums paid for the life insurance policy cannot exceed 25 percent of the employer’s aggregate contributions to the participant’s account.
If a whole life insurance policy is purchased within a qualified plan, the aggregate premiums paid for the whole life insurance policy cannot exceed 50 percent of the employer’s aggregate contributions to the participant’s account.
Universal or Term Life = 25%
Whole life = 50%
In either case, the entire value of the life insurance contract must be converted into cash or periodic income at or before retirement.
Example of 25/50 Percent Test
Morris is a participant in a qualified plan sponsored by his employer. The employer has made aggregated contributions for Morris of $100,000. His plan holds a $90,000 term life insurance policy on his life. The total premiums that have been paid for the policy are $4,000.
Because this is a term life insurance policy, the premiums paid cannot exceed $25,000 ($100,000x25%) per the 25 percent test. Since the premiums for this policy have been $4,000, the plan meets the 25 percent test.
Exam Question Limited Investment in Life Insurance
Which of the following statements concerning the use of life insurance as an incidental benefit
provided by a qualified retirement plan is (are) correct?
- The premiums paid for the life insurance policy within the qualified plan are taxable to the
participant at the time of payment. - Under the 25 percent test, if term insurance or universal life is involved, the aggregate premiums paid for the policy cannot exceed 25 percent of the employer’s aggregate contributions to the participant’s account. If a whole life policy other than universal life is used, however, the aggregate premiums paid for the whole life policy cannot exceed 50 percent of the employer’s aggregate contributions to the participant’s account. In either case, the entire value of the life insurance contract must be converted into cash or periodic income at or before retirement.
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2.
d) Neither 1 nor 2.
Answer: C
Statement 1 is correct. The premiums paid for the life insurance policy are taxable to the participant at the time of payment. Statement 2 is correct because the 25 percent test is actually a misnomer, for it is really two tests: a 25 percent test and a 50 percent test, depending on which type of life insurance protection is involved.
100-to-1 Ratio Test
The 100-to-1 ratio test limits the amount of the death benefit of life insurance coverage purchased to 100 times the monthly-accrued retirement benefit provided under the same qualified plan’s defined benefit formula.
Example of 100-to-1 Ratio Test
As a participant in her employer’s defined benefit plan, Jess has accrued a retirement benefit of
$4,000 per month.
Based on the 100-to-1 ratio test, the plan is limited to utilizing plan assets to purchase life insurance up to a face amount of $400,000 ($4,000 x100).
Defined Benefit Pension Plans vs. Defined Contribution Pension Plans
Differences?
Actuary
Commingled v.s. Seperate Individual Investment Accounts
Investment Risk
Allocation of Forfeitures
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Insurance
Benefits - Accrued Benefit/Account Balance
Credit for Prior Service
Integration with Social Secueity
Commingled Accounts
Younger/Older
Eligibility/Coverage/Vesting
Differences of Defined Benefit Pension & Defined Contribution Pension
The defined benefit pension plan and the cash balance pension plan are both defined benefit pension plans, whereas the money purchase pension plan and the target benefit pension plan are both defined contribution pension plans. The primary differences between the two categorizations of the plans include the following:
- the use of an actuary (annually or at inception);
- assumption of the investment risk (to the employer or to the employee);
- the disposition of plan forfeitures (reduce plan costs or allocate to remaining employees);
- coverage under the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC);
- the use of Social Security integration (offset or excess);
- the calculation of the accrued benefit or account balance;
- the ability to grant credit for prior service for funding; and
- the use of commingled funds versus separate, individual investment accounts