The majority of ER docs will earn contractor pay at some point in their career, which opens the door to new types of retirement accounts. One highly praised type is the individual 401(k). With all the great potential it brings, it also comes with additional responsibilities that can easily be overlooked if not careful, especially when considering the sheer number of tax deadlines and responsibilities an ER doc has.

On today’s episode, we’ll discuss the upcoming Form 5500 deadline, go over the scary consequences of not filing it, and conclude with what can be done if you realize you haven’t filed in the past when you were liable to.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a psychology theory that details our motivations as humans. Within that model, things like food, water, and health are all vital. But so, too, are employment status and property – actually within the same tier as health and safety. That shouldn’t be a surprise; our ability to fund our survival goes hand-in-hand with surviving itself. Yet, it’s almost like our brains can’t wrap around the concept that we will not work at some point in the future, whether we care to or not. That means the planning we do with our money today serves as the replacement for the work we won’t be able to do in the future.

On today’s episode, we’ll remind listeners of the importance of making incremental progress toward financial goals and adhering to a plan.

What does the termination of a deferred compensation plan actually mean for employees? In the case of Envision, it appears to mean receiving a windfall of money upfront that was likely earmarked for retirement purposes. And if that wasn’t challenging enough, there’s inevitably going to be a tax hit that may not be fully realized until over a year after the funds are received. That’s a lot of responsibility and will definitely test the discipline and planning system of these affected ER docs.

So in today’s episode, we’ll discuss the specifics of Envision’s deferred comp plan termination (dates, distributions, and of course the tax impacts you should be aware of), but also give our insight into these plans in general when it comes to a savings option for ER docs.