8:30 - 8:35 Welcome

8:35 - 9:20 Session 1: "Plan Loans, Hardship Distributions and QDROs – Practical Issues and Considerations”

What are the common (and some less common) situations involving plan loans, hardship distributions and QDROs? What are the practicalities in dealing with them? In this session, Karen Ng will share her experiences and perspective in dealing with these issues.

Ms. Ng is a partner in Sedgwick LLP’s San Francisco office, where she heads up the firm’s Employee Benefits practice. Ms. Ng concentrates her practice in the areas of ERISA and employee benefits. She has extensive experience with the design, implementation and administration of ESOPs, pension plans, profit sharing plans and 401(k) plans. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

9:20 - 9:30 BREAK

9:30 - 10:15 Session 2: "Recent Legal Developments Affecting Employee Benefit Plans”

In this session, Dick Hinman of Aon Hewitt will review recent regulations, legislation, and court decisions that affect retirement and health plans.

Mr. Hinman is an attorney and a partner who leads Aon Hewitt’s Legal Consulting & Compliance Practice in San Francisco. Mr. Hinman has over 26 years’ experience working on employee benefit plan issues for large and medium-sized employers. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the San Francisco Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council and the Employee Benefits Committee of the American Bar Association's Tax Section.

10:15 - 10:25 BREAK

10:25 - 11:10 Session 3: "Plan Committees and Fiduciaries: Roles and Obligations”

Plan committee members and other plan fiduciaries have specific responsibilities and duties in the operation of the retirement plans that they serve. Who should serve on the committee? What do fiduciaries need to know? In this session, Michael Naki will discuss these and other selected issues on the roles and obligations of those who hold these positions.

Mr. Naki is a principal at Financial Advocates in Roseville, California. He has over 25 years’ experience with defined benefit and defined contribution plans, with clients in variety of industry sectors. Mr. Naki currently serves on many retirement plan advisory committees. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Management Information Systems, at California State University at Sacramento.

11:05- 11:15 BREAK

11:20 - 12:00 Session 4:  "The Impact of PPACA on Employers – Current Issues”

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), every employer must address the challenges it presents. Although many provisions, such as shared responsibility, are coming into sharper focus, others, including nondiscrimination, administration and communications implications point to emerging issues for 2014 and 2015.

In this session, Nadya O’Connell will review some of the potentially-troublesome aspects of health care reform and offer suggestions for managing their impact. The session will cover selecting measurement and stability periods, anticipating administration and communication burdens, and optimizing plan design and funding to minimize costs.

Ms. O’Connell, CEBS, is a partner in the San Francisco office of Mercer serves as a senior consultant providing solutions and process improvement for her clients. Ms. O’Connell has over 25 years of experience in health and welfare plan consulting, strategic planning, employee communications, and account management in both carrier and national consulting environments. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Stanford University, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and a Masters in Financial Services from the American College in Bryn Mawr. She is a member of the Northern California Human Resources Association, the Disability Management Employer Coalition, and the Western Pension and Benefits Council.