Lisa Loesel
Subscribe to Lisa Loesel's PostsLisa Loesel focuses her practice on employee benefits matters, including the design, amendment and administration of pension and 401(k) plans, nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, and employee stock ownership plans. She counsels privately and publicly held corporations regarding the employee benefits design and transition matters arising from corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. She also advises clients regarding fiduciary and plan investment issues under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Lisa also has experience counseling plan fiduciaries with respect to the claims and appeals procedures under ERISA. Read Lisa Loesel's full bio.
It’s Back to Basics for Employee Benefits Priorities
By Lisa Loesel on Sep 3, 2020
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans
Prior to the pandemic, ultra-low unemployment at roughly 3.3% put a spotlight on ‘lifestyle benefits’ for employees such as gym memberships and pet sitting. When the COVID-19 crisis hit, the focus immediately shifted for many plan sponsors. Some employers are now offering high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) paired with health savings accounts (HSAs). Scaling back on...
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Deja Vu with Retirement Plan Extension 2
By Erin Steele, Joseph K. Urwitz and Lisa Loesel on Jul 9, 2020
Posted In Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans
In response to the administrative difficulties faced by plan administrators due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued Notice 2020-35, which extends additional retirement plan deadlines for 2020 not previously extended under IRS Notice 2020-23. The IRS also stated that this relief applies for purposes of ERISA if the tax...
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CARES Act Impacts All Benefit Plans
By Steven G. Eckhaus, Sarah L. Engle, Samuel Everett Dewey, Rick Stepanovic, Ralph E. DeJong, Lisa Loesel, Lindsay Ditlow, Judith Wethall, Jacob Mattinson, Evan A. Belosa, Erin Steele and Andrew Liazos on Mar 31, 2020
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Executive Compensation, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans
In the ongoing effort to help individuals impacted by COVID-19, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act) on March 27, 2020. The President signed the CARES Act into law the same day. The historic stimulus package provides wide-ranging relief for both employers and employees. This includes rules that impact health...
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Mechanics of DB Plan QDROs Differ from Those for DC Plans
By Lisa Loesel on Feb 4, 2020
Posted In Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans
There are requirements for a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) that apply whether the QDRO is for splitting up defined contribution (DC) plan assets or defined benefit (DB) plan assets, notes McDermott’s Lisa K. Loesel. However, the mechanics of setting up QDROs vary between DC and DB plans. Read on to discover the different paths...
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Finally SECURE: Opportunities in the 2019 SECURE Act for Plan Sponsors
By Jeffrey Holdvogt, Judith Wethall, Lisa Loesel and Sarah L. Engle on Jan 9, 2020
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans
The SECURE Act—the most significant piece of retirement plan legislation in more than a decade—is now law. Plan sponsors should immediately start considering how changes included in the SECURE Act could impact their retirement and health and welfare plans in 2020 and beyond. Access the full article.
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Federal District Court Dismisses Pension Actuarial-Equivalence Lawsuit
By Lisa Loesel and Richard J. Pearl on Oct 17, 2019
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Retirement Plans
In the string of pension-plan related, actuarial equivalence lawsuits, the court in DeBuske, et al. v. PepsiCo, Inc., et al. recently handed down the first decision favorable to plan sponsors. The DeBuske court’s narrow decision may, however, have limited impact going forward. Access the full article.
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Bipartisan Bill Paves the Way for Significant Retirement Plan Reforms
By Lisa Loesel and Sarah L. Engle on Jun 4, 2019
Posted In Employee Benefits, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Retirement Plans
The House recently passed the most significant piece of proposed retirement plan legislation in more than a decade: the SECURE Act. Although the Senate must also approve the bill before it becomes law, its proposed changes have considerable bipartisan support in Congress. Plan sponsors should start considering how changes included in the SECURE Act could...
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Fridays With Benefits Webinar | Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot? Our Retrospective on 2018 Benefits Issues
By Lisa Loesel, Judith Wethall and Rick Stepanovic on Oct 30, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans
Join us Friday, November 2 for our monthly Fridays with Benefits webinar. With 2019 right around the corner, now is the time to dust off your year-end checklist and take stock of changes we have seen in 2018, and how they project to impact planning for the new year. Join us for an interactive discussion...
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IRS Corrections Go Digital in 2019
By Lisa Loesel, Joseph K. Urwitz and Maggie McTigue on Oct 23, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans
Late last month, the IRS released the latest version of its Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, the IRS’s program for correcting retirement plan errors. The newest version of the correction program—effective beginning in 2019—includes mostly minor changes and clarifications. Most importantly, however, it requires electronic filing of Voluntary Correction Program submissions beginning April 1, 2019....
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Socially Responsible Investing – No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
By Brian Tiemann and Lisa Loesel on Oct 2, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans
Socially responsible investing often sounds like an intriguing idea, but investing plan assets in a socially responsible manner is a notoriously tricky proposition. Earlier this year, the US Department of Labor issued additional guidance clarifying existing DOL guidance applicable to socially responsible investment of plan assets. However, the clarifications included in FAB 2018-01 may further...
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