Structuring Cash Balance Pension Plans and Conversions: Tax Benefits for Principals and Employees

Ms. Sunderland provides specialized legal counsel to businesses, tax-exempt and government entities, third-party administrators, and multiemployer plans on employee benefits, executive compensation, and tax-related matters, ensuring compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, COBRA, the Affordable Care Act, Mental Health Parity Act, and other benefit and tax related laws. She also provides legal solutions for HR executives, in-house counsel, and benefits administrators who manage and sponsor 401(k) plans, pension programs, group health plans, and executive compensation structures. Ms. Sunderland represents employers and plan sponsors in state and federal agency enforcement actions as well as conducts voluntary employee benefit plan and fiduciary corrections. She serves corporate leadership, HR executives, and in-house counsel to mitigate legal exposure, implement fiduciary best practices, and comply with evolving employee benefits laws and regulations. Ms. Sunderland also provides proactive guidance on corporate transactions and M&A due diligence, ensuring seamless transitions for employee benefit plans and risk assessments for acquiring entities.  

Mr. Loftus has 26 years of experience providing retirement consulting services to plan sponsors that include publicly traded companies, privately held corporations, large and small public sector employers, and notforprofit corporations. His experience includes all aspects of pension and retiree healthcare projects, including actuarial valuations under ERISA, defined benefit plan administration, benefit calculations, plan design studies, experience studies, funding and accounting projection studies, nondiscrimination testing, and accounting disclosure statements under U.S. accounting standards. Mr. Loftus has also completed valuations of Other PostEmployment Benefits (OPEB) under Governmental Accounting Standards (GASB) Statements 74 and 75, including transition from GASB Statements 43 and 45. Prior to joining Milliman, he led the consulting line of business while simultaneously serving as subject matter expert to the company’s pension risk transfer line of business with over $3B of transactions.