April 2002
Labor Departmet appoints Brooks Hamilton independent fiduciary of Mid-Continent Holding Company 401(k) Plan

The U.S. Department of Labor obtained a consent judgment on April 18 requiring the former 401(k) trustee and corporate officer of three defunct Fenton, Missouri Corporations to repay $27,656.64 to the Mid-Continent Holding Company 401(k) plan.

"The department's goal is to protect the hard-earned benefits promised to employees," said Gregory Egan, regional director of the Kansas City office of the Labor Department's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA). The judgment permanently bars James F. Kistner from serving any employees benefit plan covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and appoints Brooks Hamilton of Brooks Hamilton & Partners Professional Employee Benefit Services of Dallas, Texas as the independent fiduciary to the plan.

January, 2002
Hamilton Speaks to Congressional Aides

On January 31, 2002 Brooks Hamilton, President of Brooks Hamilton & Partners, joined other members of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) to present "What Should Congress Do About 401(k)s?"at a Briefing Conference for Congressional Aides in Washington, D.C. Hamilton is a benefits consultant and Senior Fellow with the NCPA.

January, 2002
BH&A Launches "Investment Strategy" 401(k) Plan

Always riding the crest of meaningful 401(k) innovation, BH&P has installed its first 401(k) Plan featuring one professionally directed investment option and five pre-mixed investment portfolios. This Plan pulls together ideas from the best and brightest in the retirement planning business, ideas which have been heralded as the future of the 401(k) and the solution to the startling and on-going lack of investor knowledge.

December, 2001
Brooks Hamilton, Scott Burns co-author NCPA's Reinventing Retirement Income in America

This study reveals that firms who want to invest your money for retirement or educate your employees about investing for retirement don't do a good job of investing for retirement themselves. These findings are consistent with other studies showing that 401(k) plans generally perform less well than the market as a whole. The authors propose a package of solutions to these problems, and suggest a "safe harbor" from future liability for Plans who implement the package.

July, 2001
$uper$aver Program Announced!

Brooks Hamilton & Partners announces another 401(k) innovation, $uper$aver. This program takes direct aim at the problem of low contribution rates that plagues most 401(k) Plans. Employees need to contribute at least 4-6% of their pay to a 401(k) Plan to make it an effective retirement benefit tool, but many employees contribute far less than that. $uper$aver automatically increases an employee's contribution to the Plan by 1% each year until "turned off" by the employee. "This program is one of our most meaningful innovations and should have a tremendously beneficial impact on the retirement savings of everyone who is a member" says Bill Thorogood, Senior Benefits Manager at BH&A.

May, 2001
BH&A Opens Office in Tennessee

Brooks Hamilton & Partners announced today that it now has an office in Nashville, Tennessee. Says Hamilton, "This office will give us even greater back-up and redundancy for all our systems and processes, and will put us physically closer to some of our clients. Terry Williamson will manage the Nashville office, and will divide her time between Nashville and Dallas."

March, 2001
Hamilton Flies Auto-Pilot at PSCA Conference

Brooks Hamilton, President of Brooks Hamilton & Partners, spoke at the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America Midwest Regional Conference in Chicago earlier this month,on" Putting Your 401(k) Plan On Auto-Pilot". The presentation included Solutions for automating enrollment, getting employees to contribute enough, having the money invested properly, and handling benefit distributions.

January 2000
Labor Department Obtains Final Judgment Over Misuse of Houston-Based Pension Plan Assets

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent order and judgment requiring the trustees and administrator of the Houston-based Superior Engine Rebuilding Co. Profit Sharing Plant to repay $222,578 to the plan. The court order also appointed an independent manager to oversee the plan. Under the court order, Brooks Hamilton, of the Dallas-based firm Brooks Hamilton & Partners, was appointed as the independent fiduciary. The independent fiduciary has authority to collect all money owed to the plan, to distribute all plan assets to eligible plan participants and to terminate the plan after distributing all of its assets.