Break from the Grind October 27, 2016

A Little Friday File Fun

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In Tuscon, Arizona, a man locked himself out of his house and decided to try and get in through the chimney. However, he became stuck there for four hours until a neighbor heard his cry for help and called firefighters. By the time help arrived, he had managed to get far enough down to touch the floor, but the exit was too narrow for him to completely escape, the department said, according to the Huffington Post. Firefighters pulled him back up through the chimney.

In Gwinnett County, Georgia, a 16-year old playing high-school soccer experienced his third soccer-related concussion and fell into a coma. After several days, he woke up, but could only speak Spanish. According to the Huffington Post, the boy, whose English has since returned, said he knew a little Spanish because his friends and a brother speak the language, but he’d never felt comfortable holding a conversation in Spanish before his injury. His Spanish has gradually slipped away since he woke up.

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In Blyth, Northumberland, England, led police on a chase after police spotted him speeding. The chase reached up to 129 miles-per-hour. When he was stopped, he told police he had stopped at a McDonald’s drive-thru and wanted to get home and eat his burger and fries while they were still warm, the UK’s Metro reports.

In Portland, Oregon, a man was arrested for dressing as a tree and standing in the middle of a busy intersection. He was arrested after refusing police orders to leave the area. According to the Portland Press Herald, the man told police his motivation was to see how people would react to what he called his “performance” and how he might impact “people’s natural choreography.” 

In Athens, Ohio, an Ohio University professor says a student checked into his class Tuesday by swiping a card, but wasn’t there when the professor took attendance at the end of the session. He emailed the student who confessed that he had ditched class because his father got him tickets to the opening game of the World Series. According to the Associated Press, the student included a picture of himself and his brother at Progressive Field. The professor responded by calling it “an impeccable excuse,” and added “no repercussions.”

A demonstration of how elephants can love their caretakers.

If you can't view the below video, try https://youtu.be/uVceZEfAsTc

Please don't scare the children on Halloween.

If you can't view the below video, try  https://youtu.be/v5Vx6_ZY5cA

Compliance October 27, 2016

NTSA Supports Extending Fiduciary Rule to Governmental 403(b)s

As part of its support, NTSA developed a fiduciary education program that will be available to its members later this year.
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The National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA) has formally affirmed its support for a fiduciary standard for all not-for-profit organizations, and the extension of the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule to governmental 403(b) plans and participants.

NTSA, an independent, non-profit association dedicated to the 403(b) and 457(b) marketplace, chose to embrace the standard, even though the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule does not apply to governmental retirement plans.

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“This policy is in keeping with NTSA’s long-standing support for effective and clear disclosure of fees, compensation and alternatives within 403(b) plans,” says NTSA Executive Director Chris DeGrassi.

As part of its support for this new standard, NTSA, in conjunction with its parent organization, the American Retirement Association, began development of a fiduciary education program in advance of the final Labor Department rule, and will make the program available to its members later this year, ahead of the April 10, 2017, implementation date of the fiduciary regulation for private-sector plans, such as 401(k)s and IRAs.

“NTSA and NTSA partners have led on these issues for many years, and will continue to work to advance professional standards in the best interests of public education employees that need these important services our members provide,” DeGrassi says. “America’s teachers need and deserve access to the best, and most transparent financial advice as they work to prepare for their future, and NTSA’s members have long been an integral part of that planning.”

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