Are pension plans insured?

Whether or not your pension plan is insured will depend on the type of pension plan you have. Subject to certain limitations, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation insures certain benefits under defined benefit pension plans. There is generally no insurance for a defined contribution plan.

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What are the penalties for not paying back a loan out of my profit sharing plan after I leave the job?

Whenever you take out a loan against your employer’s profit sharing plan and aren’t able to repay the loan within the allotted time frame that the loan plan gives you, you can be penalized against the amount of the remaining balance on the loan. The amount that you pay because of the penalty depends both on the amount of your loan balance and the type of profit sharing plan your employer provides.

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Can I collect my spouse’s retirement benefits after his or her death?

If your spouse has a retirement plan and dies without collecting on it, it may be possible for you to collect the benefits s/he would have been entitled to. This right stems from a regulation in place under ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. ERISA, which is a federal act, states that a pension plan must have something referred to as survivor’s benefits. These benefits mean that, should the holder of the pension plan die, the person’s spouse is allowed to receive fully vested benefits from the plan.

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