A Letter from the CBA Planning Committee Chair
Greetings! It’s about time for the annual Church Plan Workshop, so I want to update you on the topics to be covered in this year’s program and remind you about registration dates and deadlines.
First of all, it does not appear that the final 403(b) regulations will be out by mid-April. Treasury officials have indicated that the new target date for their issuance is June 30, 2007. If the final regulations are out by Workshop time, we will cover them. If they’re not out by then, we’re looking into having a “webinar” shortly after they are issued in which CBA members and Workshop attendees can participate.
So that’s what we’re not going to do at the Workshop. Here’s what we are going to do: On Monday the 16th, we’ll start out with a somewhat abbreviated “403(b) Basics” discussion. We will wrap up this presentation at or just after lunch. We will also cover Roth contribution issues on Monday afternoon. Included in this discussion will be several “case studies” or examples designed to show when Roth contributions do or do not make sense. The lawyers present (and anyone else who is so inclined) will participate in a legal ethics discussion to close out the day on Monday. We will then gather by the pool for the Workshop reception.
On Tuesday morning, we are going to repeat our Compliance panel discussion with compliance experts from the larger pension boards. We plan to have a lengthy Q&A session during this segment, so bring your compliance “questions of the moment” along with you. On Tuesday morning we will also be covering housing allowance and other issues involving clergy serving “outside the pulpit,” and we will have a lengthy health care discussion focusing on the basics of HSAs and HRAs, wellness programs, and the use of employee health care incentives. Afternoon on Tuesday is “free time,” so plan on spending the afternoon in hopefully warm and sunny Scottsdale.
On Wednesday morning, we will begin the day with our annual benefits legislative and regulatory update, followed by a discussion of guidance released to date under the Pension Protection Act. The Wednesday morning session and the Workshop will conclude just after noon with discussions on special retirement plan issues involving foreign missionaries and foreign nationals and an analysis of how the issues involved in the ongoing litigation over mutual fund fees and expenses play out in the church retirement plan world.
The deadline for registering for this year’s Workshop is March 23, 2007. The housing deadline for your room reservations at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort is also March 23, 2007. You need to make your own room reservations directly with the hotel. Be sure to mention the Church Plan Workshop so you will get the special room rate available for the Workshop.
Should you want to book any “Scottsdale Activities”, please contact CBA Assistant Meeting Manager, Kristin Howard, khoward@ahint.com .
That’s all for now. Please give me a call if you have any questions about this year’s Church Plan Workshop.