[topic 1]

Introduction

Entrance into your customized 401k Easy Online plan management and participation centers occurs through…

-- The Plan Sponsor Gateway (see below) for Internet-based self-service 401k management by your authorized personnel.

-- The Plan Participant Gateway (click here to jump to its descriptive page) for Internet based self-service 401k participation and information.

The exact features and capabilities accessible through each gateway depend on the customization options you as plan sponsor choose for your company plan and those that each eligible employee chooses for his or her individual 401k account.

This page explains the features you can have within your customized 401k Easy Online Plan Sponsor Gateway.

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[topic 2]

The Plan Sponsor Gateway

The Plan Sponsor Gateway is the plan sponsor's path to customized self-service plan management, including convenient communication with company employees.

-- Access is user-name and password protected. Only those individuals at your company whom you authorize can enter your Plan Sponsor Gateway.

-- Functions are separated into two streams: plan configuration functions (see below) control overall plan information and operation parameters, while day-to-day plan administration functions (see below) power and monitor day-to-day management activity.

-- All functionality is activated and performed in light of the EXACT customization options you select for your 401k plan (see our Options page for details).

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[topic 3]

Plan Configuration Functions

We customize both your Plan Sponsor Gateway and Plan Participant Gateway to the exact options you choose for your company 401k plan.

You can further automate and refine your plan's operation through the Plan Configuration Functions contained within your Plan Sponsor Gateway. Configuration Functions include...

-- Configure Client
This menu houses access to the company name, address, tax ID number(s), etc., that will be associated with your 401k plan. It is also where you set the Log In names and Passwords that authorize entry to the plan's day-to-day management functions.

-- Configure Bulletins
Here authorized user(s) can create Bulletins that will be visible by employees as they log into the system.

-- Configure Divisions
Authorized user(s) can create and modify Divisions to attach to employee data. Common Divisions include branch office locations and company departments (accounting, marketing, etc.). Establishing Divisions fields means you can then sort and process data accordingly, if desired.

-- Configure Employees
Authorized user(s) can add, delete, or modify data relating to company employees. Data can be displayed in terms of any of a variety of data fields, including established Divisions.

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[topic 4]

Day-to-Day Plan Management Functions

As a plan sponsor, you'll use 401k Easy Online to oversee your customized 401k plan.

Day-to-day plan management functions include:

-- Plans
Lets you view and edit (as appropriate) a list of your company's existing plan(s) (you can use 401k Easy Online to run more than one retirement plan) and to model a new plan, if desired, for approval submission.

-- Transaction Log
Displays a list of transactions for the currently selected plan as well as the status of each transaction (pending, held, settled, etc.).

-- Participants
Leads into the main participant activity functions for the selected plan. The initial panel displays a list of plan participants and links to the Plan Participant Gateway for access to direct management of employees' accounts, including loan (if opted for), transfer, and distribution activity.

-- Investments
Displays the investments currently offered within the selected plan. 401k Easy Online allows for self-directed brokerage accounts, no-load mutual funds, load mutual funds, annuities, and more. Basically, if the IRS says it's OK for 401k investment, it's likely compatible with 401k Easy Online. Visit our Investments page for details; please note that our Economy plans have restricted, though still ample, investment options, whereas our Elite plans offer nearly limitless flexibility.

-- Process Contributions
Allows the people your company authorizes to process regular as well as "special" (e.g., transfers from a previous employer's 401k plan) 401k contributions. Contribution payroll information can be uploaded from a text file directly into the processing grid. The system will perform automatic validation checking and report any errors or rule violations encountered in the data.

The authorized user(s) can do all plan processing at once or save data and continue working with it later.

Once data is submitted for processing, it is held by the system until verification of funds is received through the asset custodian.

-- Participant Loans, Transfers, and Distributions
Accessed through the Plan Participant Gateway, the Loans (if opted for), Transfers and Distributions panel displays a list of pending loan, distribution, and transfer requests submitted by plan participants. The authorized plan manager(s) can approve or deny the requests and can also model new loans, distributions, and transfers for plan participants.

In addition, authorized plan manager(s) can key in loan payoffs, partial payoffs, and re-amortizations. In the case of payoffs or partial payoffs, transactions remain in "Pending" status until verification of funds is received from the asset custodian. (Remember, loans are only available within our Elite plans; our Economy plans show no loan modeling or processing functions. See our Options page for Economy versus Elite options.)

-- Activity
Accessed through the Plan Participant Gateway, the Activity panel displays a detailed list of buy/sell activity for all participants of the selected plan. Data can be filtered by date range, participant, investment name, and source.

If you'd like to visit a sample customized Plan Sponsor Gateway, see our free demo.

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[topic 5]

Forms and Reports

401k Easy Online's Forms and Reports functions include:

-- Viewing and printing forms relating to activity in the plan.
Forms include, among many others, enrollment, loan request, and request for investment statements being sent to more than one address.

-- Viewing, printing, and generating any of a variety of administration reports.
Such include, among many others, contribution statements for participants, allocation logs, and ERISA 404c compliance logs (which list, among other things, fulfillment of information requests to eligible employees).

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