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.
