Safe harbor 401 (k) plans have specific employer contributions so the employer has less flexibility than available in a traditional 401(k) plan. All employer safe harbor contributions are always 100% vested. In-service withdrawal restrictions apply to safe harbor contributions. An annual safe harbor notice is required to be distributed by the employer to all eligible participants.

A 401(k) plan is a defined contribution plan that is a cash or deferred arrangement. You can elect to defer receiving a portion of your salary which is instead contributed on your behalf, before taxes, to the 401(k) plan. Sometimes the employer may match your contributions. There are special rules governing the operation of a 401(k) plan. For example, there is a dollar limit on the amount you may elect to defer each year. The dollar limit is $11,000.

A safe harbor plan design offers an employer many advantages. As long as the plan operates within guidelines, a safe harbor 401(k) plan is deemed to pass ADP/ACP nondiscrimination tests and is deemed to not be top heavy. This allows the highly compensated employees to defer greater dollar amounts in plans with lower participation level.

k) Easy collects the same payroll information that an off-site, third-party vendor would request of you, but 401(k) Easy performs all the processing in-house, simplifying operations -- and drastically reducing turn-around times! With 401(k) Easy you have direct, constant control and oversight over your employees' 401k contributions -- from the time the money is separated from their taxable payroll until it's safely and securely deposited with the custodian mutual fund or participant-directed bro.

There are several advantages of an implanted device. Since it is implanted in the body, there are few, if any, external parts to wear and daily maintenance is minimized. In addition, the system is more directly targeted to the effected area. The disadvantage of implanted devices is they do involve a surgery which can lead to a system that is more expensive.

External devices, by the nature of being outside the body, can not be as targeted as an implanted device. There are also external components to wear and the daily maintenance of those components. Since they are outside the body, they can be less expensive than the implanted device. Another advantage of an external device is the ease to discontinue the use of the system.

ZipSeals are a patented DUI system that allows you to quickly change a latex wrist or neck seal in seconds. If you are at a dive site and a seal rips while donning the suit, you can change the seal on the spot, with no additional tools, and never again miss a dive. The ZipRings on your suit that provide the amazing ZipSeal benefits are so small and flexible that most people never even notice they are there.

Can you please provide an explanation of profit and loss diagrams for options? I am having difficulty interpreting their meaning.

A 401(k) is a fairly simple plan. It is set up by your employer as a set contribution retirement agreement. That means you are the one who pays into the plan, although your employer and the plan provider who offers your 401(k) do just about all the work. Your 401(k) contribution is automatically deducted from your paycheck each pay period. This money is taken out and invested before your paycheck is taxed.

Participants in a 401(k) plan generally have a decent number of different investment options, nearly all cases a menu of mutual funds. These funds usually include a money market, bond funds of varying maturities (short, intermediate, long term), company stock, mutual fund, US Series EE Savings Bonds, and others.

Your 401(k) plan helps you start regular investing, and stick with it. Your contributions are automatically deducted from your salary before you receive your check. Since the money is deducted from your gross income, you will have a lower taxable income, which means you will pay less in annual taxes. The money you save will accumulate on a tax-deferred basis. This means you pay no federal or state taxes on your contributions or investment earnings until you start withdrawing money from the plan.

long as your 401(k) balance is greater than $2,000, you can take up to 50% of your account balance for purposes of a loan (minimum loan amount is $1,000). There is a $75 loan origination fee and the loan is paid back through payroll deductions (the interest charged is prime plus 2%). Participants are also charged a $50 annual loan fee. Loan requests are made through the Great West Life Annuity and generally take about 2-3 weeks to process all the necessary paperwork.

For Employees: 401(k) plans are popular with employees because they are able to divert a portion of their salary into an account that is set aside for their retirement while simultaneously reducing their current tax bill. Employees are not required to pay income tax on these salary deferrals until they take the money out of the 401(k) plan, at some time in the future.

All reporting and disclosure requirements must be satisfied by the plan administrator. The completion of the forms which must be submitted when a participant enters the 401(k) plan, the preparation of series 5500 forms, a Summary Annual Report and a statement to participants of their account balance are a few of the administrative functions of a 401(k) plan.

A Roth 401(k) is a feature that allows participants to contribute to their retirement on an AFTER TAX basis. As long as the money remains in a plan for at least 5 years, the distribution (even the earnings!) will be TAX FREE.

of this time, the IRS has not finalized regulations about Roth 401(k) contributions. Therefore, distributions (including hardship distributions and loans) will not be able to be made from Roth 401(k) money until the final rules are issued. We expect these rules early in 2006. Of course, a participant would still have access to his account balance from other money sources.