Join Business Insurance Editor-at-Large Jerry Geisel on Oct. 17, 2006, along with our expert panel, for a webinar devoted to exploring recent developments and implications for cash balance pension plans, "Cash Balance Plans: Back on the Table."
BI's Online Executive ForumTM webinars, developed by our editorial staff, are highly informative online events where noted speakers and respected business leaders come together with BI editors to discuss the most pressing issues in this live interactive format.
Cash balance plans were once the fastest growing type of pension plan design until several law suits alleged discrimination against older employees. Recent federal pension reform legislation and a court ruling involving IBM Corp.'s plan rebut those claims, affirming the legitimacy of these plans. Attend this Online Executive ForumTM to learn whether employers are likely to now adopt or continue these plans, hear the viewpoints of these expert panelists, and ask questions during this live event
Alan Glickstein is a senior benefits consultant in the Dallas office of Watson Wyatt Worldwide. Alan specializes in the strategic design and financing of total compensation packages, with a particular concentration in the retirement benefit area.
With more than 20 years of experience in the employee benefit field, Alan has served as lead actuary and relationship manager for such organizations as Allmerica Financial, American Standard, Becton Dickinson, Foot Locker and May Department Stores. Alan has also provided special consulting services to Textron and provides consulting services to a number of Dallas organizations.
His areas of focus include the retail industry, cash balance plans and the financial aspects of benefit plans. Alan's client relationships are balanced between finance and human resource issues. Alan also leads Watson Wyatt's national consulting team with respect to accounting for stock-based compensation. Earlier in his career, he was responsible for developing several financial analysis tools and systems.
Alan is the national Retirement practice leader for policy and process. He is responsible for many of the positions that Watson Wyatt takes on retirement issues of the day and for advocacy on behalf of our clients.
Alan has been quoted regularly in publications including Business Insurance, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and various print and online trade publications.
Alan is a Fellow in the Conference of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, an Enrolled Actuary with the IRS and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries. He holds a B.A. in mathematics from Queens College.
Larry Sher is a Principal and the Director of Retirement Policy at Buck Consultants, an ACS Company. Larry, based in New York, has practiced as an actuary since 1973 and he has extensive experience designing and consulting with respect to defined benefit pension plans, including cash balance plans.
Since the early 1990s, Larry has devoted a significant portion of his time to issues relating to cash balance plans, including providing technical assistance and advice to the firms' consultants, clients and to government officials, testifying at government hearings; initiating and supervising research activities, speaking at professional conferences, publishing articles, and responding to questions from the media.
Larry has served as an expert in several lawsuits involving cash balance plans, including Esden vs. Bank of Boston, Lyons vs. Georgia Pacific, Cooper vs. IBM, Berger vs. Xerox, Amara vs. CIGNA, Hirt vs. The Equitable, Engers vs. AT&T and West vs. AK Steel.
He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and an Enrolled Actuary. Larry has been active in the actuarial profession, including: member of the American Academy of Actuaries Pension Practice Council and Pension Committee; member of the Pension Committee of the Actuarial Standards Board; and is currently serving on the Boards of the Actuarial Standards Board and the Conference of Consulting Actuaries.
Bill Sweetnam is a principal at the Groom Law Group in Washington, the nation's largest employee benefits specialty law firm, and is the practice leader of its Policy and Legislation Group.
Before joining Groom in May 2005, he was the Benefits Tax Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Benefits Tax Counsel is the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy with regard to all aspects of employee benefits taxation and related matters, including pensions, health care and executive compensation.
Bill was the Treasury's primary contact with Congress with regard to the IRA and pension provisions in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Bill also led the team at the Treasury in its guidance efforts with regard to consumer-directed health care (such as Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements) and the new executive deferred compensation rules.
Prior to the Treasury Department, Bill was Tax Counsel on the Majority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, under the chairmanship of Senator William V. Roth of Delaware. At the Committee, he was responsible for tax matters in the areas of employee benefits (pensions, medical plans, and executive compensation), retirement savings vehicles (such as IRAs), insurance and tax-exempt organizations (including charitable giving). During his tenure, Bill was involved with the Retirement Savings and Security Act (which unanimously passed through the Finance Committee), the Patients' Bill of Rights and the IRS personnel flexibility provisions in the IRS Reform and Restructuring Act.
The event will be moderated by Business Insurance Editor-at-Large Jerry Geisel, with interactive Q&A from the live audience.
To attend this free online panel discussion, please click here to register today.
Business Insurance Online Executive Forum: October 17, 2006
