Allison Wilkerson
Subscribe to Allison Wilkerson's PostsAllison Wilkerson focuses her practice on employee benefits matters. She has extensive experience handling issues pertaining to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Read Allison Wilkerson's full bio.
Proposed Changes to § 409a Regulations: Greater Clarity and Better Planning Alternatives
By Andrew Liazos and Allison Wilkerson on Jun 22, 2017
Posted In Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation
Andrew Liazos and Allison Wilkerson wrote this bylined article on Tax Code Section 409A’s deferral and payment requirements for nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Recent IRS Section 409A guidance makes “several helpful changes that employers will want to consider and take advantage of,” the authors wrote, and they warned employers that they ignore final IRS “at...
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ESOP Trends in the Marketplace
By Allison Wilkerson on May 25, 2017
Posted In Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
Over the years, employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) have evolved in many ways. Currently, ESOP transactions began to resemble traditional M&A transactions including financial structures, warrants and market rate sub-debt. In a recent presentation at the NCEO Employee Ownership Conference, Allison Wilkerson discusses current marketplace trends in structuring ESOP transactions, including the importance of pre-transaction...
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Proposed Changes to 409A Regulations Provide Greater Clarity and Planning Alternatives
By Andrew Liazos and Allison Wilkerson on Dec 27, 2016
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Executive Compensation
On June 22, 2016, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed regulations to modify and clarify existing regulations under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. The proposed changes were in response to practitioner comments and the IRS’s experience with Section 409A after the issuance of the final regulations in 2007. Overall, the proposed modifications are...
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View From McDermott: Fifth Circuit Focuses on Process in ESOP Valuations
By Allison Wilkerson on Jul 28, 2016
Posted In Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Labor, Retirement Plans
Though the Supreme Court’s 2014 unanimous ruling in Fifth Third Bank v. Dudenhoeffer announced the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) standards for stock valuation in the context of a large public employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), the vast majority of ESOPs are still grappling with valuation issues. ESOPs that hold stock of closely-held corporations—approximately...
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Form 5500 Deadline Extension Repealed
By Allison Wilkerson, Joseph K. Urwitz and Sarah L. Engle on Mar 11, 2016
Posted In Health and Welfare Plans
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). In addition to authorizing $305 billion in funding for federal highway projects, the FAST Act also repeals the recently enacted extension to the Form 5500 filing deadline included in the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act (Surface...
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