Smart Stops on the Web

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

SAVINGS SAVVY
www.401khelpcenter.com
This is your one-stop shop for 401(k) information. Browse two of the site’s most helpful features: the Daily Digest, continually updated with pension and retirement news; and Collective Wisdom, handpicked resources from the site’s researchers. Sole practitioners and small-firm CPAs can find single-participant 401(k) providers or SIMPLE 401(k) plans on the Small Business Channel.

WORKING MOMS NETWORK
www.momsrising.org
The grass-roots MomsRising organization joins working mothers to address the core benefit issues their members face: paid family leave, flexible work schedules, after-school care, health care and fair wages. Their online organization hosts forums to trade personal experiences and find solutions to shared issues, Web-based resources from more than 50 partner organizations, and petitions to state and national legislators.

CALCULATING RETIREMENT NEEDS
www.choosetosave.org/calculators
With more employers changing their retirement plans (see “ Time to Rethink Your 401(k) Plan? ” page 50), it’s necessary to re-evaluate contributions to your various savings accounts. The Choose to Save site offers more than 100 savings and benefit calculators to help you responsibly set up and tweak your retirement plan. Use the “Which will provide the most retirement income?” calculator to choose your most profitable IRA or the “Which savings should be used first?” calculator before making large withdrawals.

FROM ACTUARY TO ZERO-COUPON BOND
www.ifebp.org/resources
Confused about what your benefits package really offers you? Use the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans’ Glossary of Terms to decode everything from IRA and 401(k) options to work/life benefits. You can search by term or scan the alphabetical listings. To stay current on new or proposed benefits regulations, visit the site’s news and health care reform sections for updates.

GENERAL INTEREST

SOX HEADLINES
www.soxfirst.com
Catch up on the day’s accounting and finance developments on this SOX-oriented site. News is pulled from domestic and international sources and updated daily; also keep an eye out for interviews with heavy hitters in business and politics. Its blog format allows visitors to search for news and archived posts by category, such as accounting, corporate crime, ethics, compliance, and, of course, SOX.

INFORMED GIVING
www.charitynavigator.org
This site evaluates the financial well-being and organizational efficiency of more than 5,000 charities, offering donors an independent resource to guide their giving decisions. The tips section answers donor questions regarding tax benefits, volunteering and giving in the workplace. Registered users can compare charities side-by-side and view their financial data from the previous three years.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE
www.greenbiz.com
What better way to mark the peak of spring than by learning how you can make your business and staff more environmentally responsible? This eco-friendly stop shows how to encourage employees to bring good environmental habits to the workplace. At their partner site with the Environmental Protection Agency, www.greenbizleaders.com , you can research news and leadership practices from companies that are adopting innovative planet-preserving practices—search by company name, initiative type or industry sector.

GAUGE EMPLOYEE VALUES
www.companygivingtest.com
Identify your employees’ charity preferences and values using this survey. Company Giving Test polls employees on their preferred donation sectors and geographic focus, allowing employers to match their corporate giving strategy to their company’s and employees’ values. Click the sample report tab for an example of their company giving report and to take a complimentary survey.

HIDDEN SEC ODDITIES
www.footnoted.org
As a busy CPA, the footnotes of SEC filings are probably missing from your must-read list. The fine print, however, is where companies occasionally reveal items they’d be just as happy if investors didn’t notice, according to the site’s author. On her blog, Michelle Leder exposes these strange, and sometimes alarming, disclosures for all to see. You can search by company name or browse the “buried treasure” items. Check the site on Friday afternoons when Leder awards a “Gold Star” to the week’s clearest, most responsible report, or click the How To tab for tips on reading 10-Qs, 10-Ks and proxy statements.