Happy New Year and Greetings from your ABC!!

The ASPPA Benefits Council of Atlanta, your ABC, is excited to welcome in 2010 with a bang. With the ever-changing world that is the retirement plan industry, the goal of our ABC is to keep you up-to-date with changes and current trends in the industry. Through ASPPA and your ABC, you can enjoy a host of high-quality, practical education experiences in a variety of different forms, including national conferences, local workshops, webcasts, audio conferences, and bulletins.

New Board Members
We are pleased to welcome 2 new additions to the Board of Directors for the ABC for 2010. Chris Etheridge and Maggi Parris have graciously volunteered to serve. Welcome Chris and Maggi!!
Benefits Conference of the South (BCOS)

The fourth BCOS will be held May 13-14, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. As one of the nation’s leading educational organizations, ASPPA’s regional conference here in Atlanta promises to be one of the highlights of the educational year. The BCOS is one of the rare opportunities for you to see and hear representatives from the national offices of the IRS and DOL without the expense and inconvenience of traveling out of town. Come support this wonderful local meeting! For more information about the BCOS, or to register, please visit www.ASPPA.org.

ABC Workshops
For 2010, our Programs Committee, led by Roger Weitkamp and Katrina Moody, has developed a remarkable slate of programs and speakers for you. William Gray and Larry Weitzner will start our year off on Wednesday, January 27th by addressing the challenges posed by multiemployer pension plans. On April 4th, nationally known speaker Janice Wegesin will address the “how-to’s” of filing a Form 5500 under the new electronic system that became mandatory on January 1, 2010.

ABC Board Members Joni Jennings and Barry Klein have graciously agreed to present workshops for the ABC this year. In May, Joni will provide an overview of unique issues presented by ESOPs. In June, Barry will help us through our 403(b) audit issues.
Other topics on the agenda for this year include plan design options for cash balance plans, administrative issues related to rehires, investment advice and fee disclosure, and representing clients in DOL and IRS audits. In December, we will wrap up the 2010 year in style with the nationally acclaimed speaker Ilene Ferenczy, who will present our legislative and regulatory update.

Sincerely,
Gina Farmer, J.D.
2010 President