Todd Solomon
Subscribe to Todd Solomon's PostsTodd A. Solomon is the head of McDermott’s Benefits, Compensation & Employment Practice Group. Todd focuses his practice on designing, amending and administrating pension, profit sharing, 401(k), employee stock ownership and 403(b) plans, as well as nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements. He also counsels privately and publicly held corporations and tax-exempt entities regarding fiduciary issues under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), employee benefits issues involved in corporate transactions, executive compensation matters and the implementation of benefit programs for domestic partners of employees. Read Todd A. Solomon's full bio.
COVID-19 — Tax Planning Opportunity for Defined Benefit Participants?
By Erin Turley, Diane Morgenthaler and Todd Solomon on Apr 14, 2020
Posted In Employee Benefits, Retirement Plans
Much has been written about the new CARES Act distribution that allows impacted COVID-19 participants to access up to $100,000 in their tax-qualified defined contribution plan penalty-free and with income taxes spread over three years. However, the CARES Act legislation applies to all “eligible retirement plans” as defined in Code Section 402. So technically the...
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Transgender Health Benefits: Best Practices and Legal Considerations
By Erin Steele, Jacob Mattinson and Todd Solomon on Sep 3, 2019
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Health and Welfare Plans
A growing number of medical organizations, courts and administrative bodies have stated that transition-related medical care is medically necessary and should be covered by employer-sponsored medical plans. Access to employer-sponsored healthcare coverage for transgender workers has become an issue of focus for civil rights advocacy groups such as Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties...
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7 Severance Structuring Tips for Tax-Exempt Colleges and Universities
By Joseph K. Urwitz, Erin Steele and Todd Solomon on Aug 20, 2019
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Executive Compensation
In-house counsel and human resources professionals at tax-exempt colleges and universities often face a variety of challenges when structuring, and determining obligations due under, severance arrangements. There are some key considerations to bear in mind, which are outlined in this article. Access the full article.
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Fridays with Benefits Webinar | All in the Family: 21st Century Benefit Plan Strategies for Family-Owned Businesses
By Judith Wethall, Bobbi J. Bierhals and Todd Solomon on Jun 6, 2019
Posted In Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation
Those were the days: when family-owned businesses paid only passing attention to the business value of providing tax-efficient—and incentivizing—benefit plans and compensation options. Tomorrow, Employee Benefits partner Todd Solomon and Private Client partner Bobbi Bierhals join host Judith Wethall during our Fridays with Benefits webinar series to discuss benefit plans and compensation strategies for modern...
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Key Considerations with Alternative Investments for Pension Plans
By Brian Tiemann and Todd Solomon on Nov 15, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Retirement Plans
Todd Solomon and Brian Tiemann presented on alternative investments for pension plans during the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Conference in Chicago. They discussed various rules benefit plan investors should consider, including the “look-through” rule and the “significant” investment rule. They also addressed common hedge fund structural and operational issues, and problems if a fund...
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The Forgotten “T” in LGBT: Best Practices for Creating a Transgender-Inclusive Workplace
By Todd Solomon on Sep 11, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment
Creating a gender identity and/or expression inclusive workplace allows employers to attract and retain talented employees, boosts engagement and productivity, and mitigates risks of legal claims. In a presentation at the 37th Annual ISCEBS Employee Benefit Symposium, Todd Solomon creates a business case for transgender inclusion by exploring legal trends. He discusses best practices for...
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Federal Appellate Court Finds That Title VII Bans Gender Identity Discrimination
By Rick Stepanovic, Brian Mead and Todd Solomon on May 31, 2018
Posted In Employment
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled on March 7, 2018, that workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The language of Title VII does not expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity. However, the US...
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The Forgotten “T” in LGBT Diversity: Best Practices for Creating a Transgender-Inclusive Workplace
By Todd Solomon on Mar 29, 2018
Posted In Employment
Todd Solomon urged employers to “get past” a reluctance to deal with transgender employee concerns and “press the issue in order to create a comfortable and inclusive environment” in the workplace. “Support for LGBT employees must come from the top down in order to be effective, and it has to be evidenced by concrete actions...
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Federal Appellate Court Finds That Title VII Bans Sexual Orientation Discrimination
By Rick Stepanovic and Todd Solomon on Mar 15, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans
On February 26, 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (covering Connecticut, New York and Vermont) ruled that workplace discrimination on the basis sexual orientation violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The language of Title VII does not expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual...
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Tax and Benefits Considerations for Service Providers for Family Offices
By Patrick J. McCurry and Todd Solomon on Feb 22, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Executive Compensation
Patrick McCurry and Todd Solomon wrote this bylined article on how family offices are using sophisticated techniques to compensate their employees in a tax-efficient manner. “We expect to see the continued use of equity to deliver tax-efficient compensation to family office employees while aligning the economic interests and incentives of the family and the family...
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