Sentinel TPAs

✈️ Conference season is in full swing! Kasey, Melissa, and Barbara had a fantastic time representing our team at the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries Annual Conference, connecting with industry professionals, sharing ideas, and gaining valuable insights into the future of retirement plans. As Faulk & Winkler continues to provide retirement plan administration, opportunities like ASPPA help our team stay informed on industry trends and best practices that allow us to better serve our clients and their participants. We’re grateful for the conversations, connections, and knowledge gained along the way! 🤝💼

Final auto-enrollment regulations under SECURE 2.0 just moved one step closer, and plan sponsors need to be ready.

The IRS submitted draft final rules to the White House on June 23. Once finalized, the 6-month clock starts ticking. Swipe through to see what's in the rules, who's covered, and what to do in the meantime. 👉

This July, we're celebrating one year with Barbara! 🎉

As our Senior Manager of Business Operations, Barbara has been instrumental in keeping our team running smoothly while also being a true champion of our culture and core values. She brings kindness to everything she does, and it makes a real difference for everyone around her. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and grandson, plus boating, sporting events, music, and reading.

We're so glad to have you on the team!

Part-time workers are reshaping the retirement plan landscape, and SECURE 2.0 made it official.

Starting with plan years after December 31, 2024, employees who work at least 500 hours in each of two consecutive years must be allowed to participate in your 401(k) or ERISA 403(b) plan. For businesses with a significant part-time workforce, this change could meaningfully expand plan participation and bring new administrative responsibilities along with it.

F&W and Sentinel work together to help businesses stay ahead of exactly these kinds of changes, from reviewing plan eligibility and updating census data to coordinating the accounting and tax implications.

Reach out to our team to make sure your plan and your books are aligned.

Sentinel is pleased to welcome Dan Burnett to the team!

Dan is a BBA graduate of Georgia College & State University with 12 years of experience in the TPA industry. He holds both the QKC and QKA designations through ASPPA. A native of Evans, Georgia, Dan enjoys traveling, reading, and playing the occasional round of tennis or golf.

We're glad to have you, Dan!

This month, we're celebrating two incredible members of our Sentinel team!

Melissa Terito has been a cornerstone of our team since 2009, growing into a Partner and leader who drives our vision forward while personally dedicating herself to her clients every single day.
And Kristie Hustmyre? She's been keeping us all on track for over 25 years, earning the nickname "wizard" for her ability to solve just about any problem that comes her way.

Together, they bring a level of dedication, heart, and expertise that makes Sentinel what it is. We are so lucky to have both of them on this team and are so grateful for the countless ways they show up for our clients and each other every day.

Thank you, Melissa and Kristie!

July 31 can come faster than plan sponsors expect.

For many calendar-year retirement plans, the Form 5500 Series filing deadline is generally July 31, 2026. And while that may sound far away, the filing process is much easier when key information is gathered early.

Now is a good time to review items like plan details, year-end plan financial information, plan liabilities, participant loan balances, and any applicable IRS opinion letter information.

Need more time? Plan sponsors may request an extension by timely filing Form 5558. For many calendar-year plans, that generally extends the deadline to October 15, 2026.

The goal is not just to meet a deadline. It is to avoid unnecessary stress, reduce the risk of missing information, and keep plan administration moving smoothly.

To learn more about how Sentinel supports plan sponsors, visit sp-tpa.com.

Your plan document may be blocking catch-up contributions and no one's flagged it yet.

Under SECURE 2.0, a significant change is now in effect for 2026. If you have employees who are 50+ and earned more than $150,000 in F**A wages from your company in 2025, their catch-up contributions generally must now go into a Roth account, not pretax.

Here's what many plan sponsors are still sorting through: if your plan doesn't currently offer a Roth feature, those employees may lose the ability to make catch-up contributions entirely unless the plan is updated.

Swipe to see who's affected, what the compliance issue looks like, and what to review before contributions are processed.

This is a plan design and compliance issue, not just a payroll update. If you're not sure whether your plan is ready, we can help. Visit sp-tpa.com to learn more or get in touch.

Congratulations to Tommy Lejeune and Melissa Terito on being named to the 2026 Capital Region 500 by Baton Rouge Business Report.

The Capital Region 500 recognizes the executives, entrepreneurs, advocates and civic leaders who shape the economy and culture of our region. It's a distinction defined not by flash, but by impact.

We're thrilled to see our partners celebrated among this year's honorees.

Check out the full list here:
https://issuu.com/batonrougebusinessreport/docs/2026_capital_region_500

Your retirement plan holds more than account balances.

It also holds participant names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses, beneficiary information, payroll data, contribution details, and more.

That makes cybersecurity more than an IT concern.

For plan sponsors, cybersecurity belongs in the plan oversight conversation because it touches participant data protection, vendor oversight, and plan governance.

Participant data protection means safeguarding the sensitive information tied to each person in the plan.

Vendor oversight means understanding how payroll providers, recordkeepers, advisors, TPAs, and other service providers handle plan data.

Plan governance means making cybersecurity part of the ongoing review process, not a one-time IT conversation.

Strong retirement plan governance is not just about investments and compliance testing. It is also about protecting the people behind the accounts.

This content is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, tax, or fiduciary advice. Plan sponsors should consult their retirement plan professionals regarding their specific situation.