Please find our latest events, news and publications on our Employee Benefits services at TI-TRUST, Inc.

 

Fiduciary Process for the Annual Update to the Share Value

By Frank “Chip” Brown, TI-TRUST, Inc.
ESOP trustees are required by law to set the employer stock price at least annually which in turn allows the ESOP’s third-party administrator to perform the mandatory annual accounting and testing procedures that culminate in the issuance of annual ESOP participant statements. An ESOP participant statement includes the participant’s account balance as of the end of the plan year, based on the new stock price. The trustee sets the share price based on the fair market value of the employer stock determined by an independent third-party valuation firm... Read more about this article »

Best Practices in Interaction between the Board of Directors and Trustees

By Merri Ash, TI-TRUST, Inc.
In order to better understand the model of communication and responsibilities held between the Board of Directors and ESOP Trustees (or shareholders) of an ESOP Company, one should begin with an understanding of the corporate and ESOP plan structure... Read more about this article »

Shareholder Obligations of the ESOP Trustee

By Brian Ippensen and Merri Ash, TI-TRUST, Inc.
Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the ESOP trustee is considered the owner of record for shares held by the plan. The responsibilities of the ESOP shareholder are at least as great as those of other shareholders in the same corporation... Read more about this article »

Parksite Case Debunks ESOP Myth: Actually a Great M&A Vehicle

by Mary Josephs, Verit Advisors LLC *As published in Forbes Magazine.
One of my jobs, I’ve learned during 30 years of advising on employee ownership transactions, is to dispel myths about ESOPs, or Employee Stock Ownership Plans.

Too complicated (not true). Takes forever to close a deal (not true). Inmates-running-the-asylum governance issues (not true). And then there’s this misperception: ESOPs, while fine for mature and slow-growing companies… Read more about Parksite »

Suddenly, 230 Owners: Family Business Drake-Williams Steel Converted to Employee Ownership

by Cole Epley / World-Herald Staff Writer

There’s a new chief executive officer at Drake-Williams Steel Inc., but newly anointed boss Jay Stewart isn’t the only employee getting an updated title.

Stewart, 50, is one of a group of about 230 employees across three locations in Omaha and Aurora, Colorado, who are now owners of the 132-year-old, Omaha-based steel fabricator. Omaha landmarks… Read more about Drake-Williams Steel Inc. »

Burns & McDonnell CEO: Thankful for Colleagues Who Own It

by Greg Graves, Former Chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell, a global engineering, architecture, construction, and environmental consulting firm.

It’s the question we’re all sure to be asked at some point in the next couple of weeks: “What are you most thankful for this year?” It’s a question I ask myself … not because I have a lack of things to be thankful for, but rather, because it makes me assess what I’m doing to contribute to others.

Granted, the good fortune in my life isn’t to be underestimated. My family, living in a great place like Kansas City (home of the World Champion Royals!) and working for a company like… Read more about Burns & McDonnell »