Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Over the last year, defined contribution plan participants likely have felt like they just can’t get a break. I’m sorry to say a little bird at Mercer tells me the savings outlook may not improve next year, depending on the results of a government calculation. Here’s the breakdown: Limits for DC and DB plans — including 401(k) deferrals and catch-up contributions — are adjusted each year based on an IRS calculation that, among other factors, takes…

Thanks to the new Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (Congress couldn’t think of a shorter name?), employers may soon see a rise in the number of employees requesting workplace accommodations for a disability, the crystal ball watchers at Cigna predict. ADAAA, which took effect January 1, 2009, substantially broadened the definition of who may attempt to seek protection under the ADA, making it easier for an individual to establish that he or she is “disabled”…

The latest stat shot from Watson Wyatt shows that employers — perhaps sensing a reheating economy — are ready to thaw out some of those frozen salaries and 401(k) matching contributions that have been on ice most of the last year. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, 33% of employers that froze salaries plan to show their love by unfreezing them within the next six months, up from 17% two months ago. Another 44% plan to…

Hey pros, you have less than two months to get prepped to comply with mental health parity legislation (going into effect Oct. 3). Although stats show that the costs to do so will be less than you may have thought, there may already be a tool in your belt to mitigate costs even further. …

Math was never my subject in school – as evidenced by my chosen career – but I think given the economic conditions we’re living in, it wouldn’t hurt any of us to at least consider joining up with The American College to pursue its new Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation. …

I received a Watson Wyatt release yesterday that literally made me scratch my head and say, “What the …?” Let’s recap: Employers know that having employees who possess a firm understanding of their benefits makes good business sense, and even know that conducting in-person meetings helps them gain that understanding. However, not only do employers seem okay with letting them maintain a middling understanding of their benefits, the latest from WW reports that the majority of companies…

What do ERISA and jam bands have in common? Not much…normally. But ERISA lawyer, Andrew L. Oringer, welded the two concentrations when he formed the band, Throw us a Rope, a nod to Ropes & Gray, LLP, the firm that spawned the budding talent and at which Oringer is a partner in their Tax & Benefits Department. …

In a town hall meeting yesterday in Portsmouth, N.H., President Obama changed the semantics, if not the strategy, of his health care agenda. In the first of three such gatherings scheduled for this week to discuss health care, the president stressed the importance of passing “health insurance reform,” rather than health care reform, as he’d said in other speeches. …

Although it doesn’t fully explain the wage-gender gap, new research from a University of New Mexico study could provide a small bit of insight into how and why it persists. UNM researcher Scott Taylor studied 251 managers and found that women were far less likely (three times less!) than men to accurately predict their coworkers’ perception of their work performance. Although women rated their own job performance highly compared to men in the study, they undercut…

Yep, you read that right. Although employees find themselves working more hours 'off the clock,' thanks to Blackberries, iPhones and technology that allows them to connect to workplace servers from home, employers can be walking into a wage and hour minefield if they aren't careful. Brian Jackson, an attorney with labor and employment firm Fisher & Philips, says that employers need to track the time that employees spend responding to clients -- phone calls, e-mails, etc.…