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Spring is a time of new growth. The buds on trees start to appear, dormant flowers launch their annual makeover, and the grass begins its transition to a beautiful shade of deep green. If only growth in your business was as easy as waiting for warmer weather.

In a recent letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, six members of the Congressional Black Caucus warned that if the DOL’s 2010 fiduciary proposal is re-proposed this year without significant changes, the rule “could disparately impact retirement savers and investment representatives in the African-American community,” according to the letter.

On the last day of 2012 the IRS updated the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS), published as Rev. Proc 2013-12. The program allows plan sponsors to declare, fix and pay penalties (where applicable) for certain operational or demographic missteps under the “voluntary correction program” (VCP)

Apparently some plan sponsors and even advisers overlook a basic resource when conducting 401(k) enrollment and education sessions: The TPA. “Advisers are sometimes surprised to see a TPA at the meeting,” says Beth Harrington, president of Benefit Resources Inc. in Sacramento. “That shocks me.”

The Employers Resource Association receives more than 8,000 calls each year to its human resources hotline. For the third consecutive year, ERA data show, the highest demand for phone-in expertise was not about health care reform or retirement plans, but HR “staples” like performance management, fair labor issues and immigration. On ERA’s top 10 list of most-questioned topics, the Family and Medical Leave Act remains No. 1.

T. Rowe Price, the mutual fund giant, recently completed a study which showed that participants should average 15% in contributions into their 401(k) plan accounts each year to achieve retirement readiness. Approximately three years ago, Alliance Bernstein conducted a similar study which came to basically the same conclusion.

For years, the mandates for more work-life flexibility were directed at organizations and management, but workplace and academic experts say the boss or company are no longer the ones to solely blame for flexibility failure. However, two workplace experts now say the challenge is for employees to focus less on sweeping transformative change and instead make small, everyday shifts in work style.

Hearing arguments this week in Washington, the justices voiced skepticism about the so-called pay-for-delay agreements, which the Federal Trade Commission says cost buyers as much as $3.5 billion a year.

A new survey finds that while most wealthy Americans have a retirement plan in place and feel confident about their retirement readiness, they may be underestimating how much money they will need once they retire.

This week marks the third anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As benefits professionals look toward the law’s full implementation next year, here is a quick look at important dates for PPACA past and future.