Articles & Publications

Why Conducting an Annual Benefit Plan Review is Critical

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) generally requires large employee benefit plans to have a yearly audit conducted. While the main purpose of the audit is to provide reasonable assurance that the plan’s financial statements are presented fairly in. Read More >>

Monitoring Service Provider Performance: The Role of Type II SOC 1 Reports

It’s not uncommon for sponsors of employee benefit plans to outsource key functions like accounting and recordkeeping to third-party service providers. But this doesn’t absolve plan sponsors the responsibility for monitoring these key functions adequately or the overall financial. Read More >>

Lease Accounting: Not As Far Away As It Seems

With the massive changes coming to revenue recognition, it’s easy to forget that there are also some significant changes to lease accounting closely following. The new lease standard supersedes FASB ASC 840 and becomes effective for non-public companies for. Read More >>

Benefit Plan Insights: 5 Common ERISA Red Flags

Any size retirement plan can run into serious trouble when sponsors aren’t careful. With some reasonable planning, your qualified retirement plan doesn’t have to be the target of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation. Below we have. Read More >>

Leveraging Plan Administration while Maintaining Your Fiduciary Responsibility

November 16, 2017 Benefit Plans

Under ERISA, employee benefit plan administrators have complete responsibility for all administrative functions of the plan. This includes everything from selecting service providers and investment management to maintaining accurate minutes that document the decision-making processes. Selecting the third-party administrators. Read More >>

Damage control: Surviving a business interruption

Cash is a business’s lifeblood. Even companies that are highly profitable on paper can’t survive long without a healthy cash flow. That’s why a business interruption, such as one that might have been caused by recent hurricanes hitting Texas. Read More >>

Show Me the Money (and where it goes): The New Revenue Recognition Standards

There aren’t many instances when the accounting industry faces a game changer. But with the new Revenue Recognition Standard FASB has put in place, that’s exactly what every company will experience in its day-to-day accounting practices. To make sense. Read More >>

Comment Letter on ASB Proposed Statement of Auditing Standards

Earlier this year, the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) issued an exposure draft of a proposed change to the auditing standard which, if adopted, would make radical changes in audit reports for employee benefit plans.  BMF, as a well-recognized industry. Read More >>

Benefit Plan Responsibilities: When Not to Rely on Your TPA

February 16, 2017 Benefit Plans

Outsourcing plan functions to a third party administrator (TPA) is one way that plan administrators can keep their heads above water. But misunderstanding the TPA’s duties can lead to compliance challenges. The problem occurs when plan administrators rely on. Read More >>

FASB Announces One-Step Testing for Goodwill Impairment

In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued additional revised guidance for goodwill impairment testing that’s intended to make the process easier and less costly. The latest amendments, found in Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2017-04, Intangibles. Read More >>