May 13, 2011

S Corporation Rules Involving Section 409(p)

Section 409(P) of the Code, which was enacted as part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief reconciliation Act of 2001, sets forth anti-abuse rules for ESOPs that are maintained by S corporations.  The following is to summarize the restrictions of Section 409(P), as follows: Basic Rule:  No assets of an ESOP may be allocated…

22 ESOP Myths And Misconceptions

Click here to download the full article in pdf format ESOPs were first authorized by federal legislation in 1974. Since that date, there have been more than 25 separate pieces of legislation that have further defined what an ESOP is and what an ESOP is permitted to do. Despite this fact, there are more misconceptions…

ESOPs: Uses, Advantages, and Illustrative Case Histories

USES OF AN ESOP A Readily Available Market for Controlling Shareholders Frequently, controlling shareholders desire to sell a part of their shares in order to diversity their holdings, or to provide liquidity for investment or estate planning purposes. Usually, however, there is no market for the sale of a minority interest in a closely-held company.…

ESOPS vs. Profit Sharing Plans

WHAT IS AN ESOP? The best way to explain an ESOP is to compare it to a profit sharing plan. ESOPs can do all the things a profit sharing plan can do. However, ESOPs can do a great many things that profit sharing plans cannot do. Profit sharing plans are regarded primarily as employee benefit…

ESOP: A New Tax Savings Tool for Owners of S Corporations

“A new dawn greets ESOP companies!” “The Holy Grail of business opportunities beckons: ESOP companies can now operate tax free!” Not since 1984, when the §1042 tax-free rollover was enacted, has the ESOP community bubbled with such enthusiasm. Under the provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, (“EGTRRA”), the ESOP’s…

ESOPS and Employee Productivity

USING ESOPS TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY You’ve read about them—companies that seem to have found the key to success in an unstable business environment: “Sales Jump 312% as Employees Learn Rules of the Game” at Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation in Missouri. Management Accounting. Inc. magazine awards its Entrepreneur of the Year award to all 240 owner-employees of…

The ESOP Association 2009 Year-End Legislative Update

S. 1612 – The ESOP Promotion and Improvement Act of 2009: On August 6, 2009, Senator Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR) introduced S. 1612, the ESOP Promotion and Improvement Act of 2009. The legislation has four sections, including an entirely new proposal to remove a 35 year bias against ESOP companies by the Small Business Administration.…

ESOPs as Retirement Benefits: An Analysis of DOL Data

Fall 2010 Written by Loren Rogers In a project funded by the Employee Ownership Foundation, the NCEO did an extensive analysis of ESOP companies using data from the US Department of Labor. Unlike prior research, the study carefully compiled data from multiple plans within a single company and used multiple years of data for each…

The ESOP Association and the Employee Ownership Foundation Release Results of the 2010 ESOP Company Survey

August 11, 2010 The ESOP Association and the Employee Ownership Foundation released today the results of a survey conducted among the Association’s 1,400 corporate members in the first quarter of 2010 which confirms positive benchmarks for ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) companies. The company survey is conducted every five years and was last completed in…

Ross Group Inc. Rewards Employees With Stock Ownership Plan

Ross Group Inc of Dayton, Ohio announced that the company has formed an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and has joined the growing list of companies whose employees are stockholders. “When the transaction is completed,” said Mr. Mark Ross, President and CEO, “the employees of Ross Group Inc will own just under 25 percent of…

Clif Bar Announces ESOP Program

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Clif Bar & Company announced the selling of family owned common stock to its employees through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Employees through the ESOP own 20% of the company, while husband and wife owners Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford retain the remaining 80%. No change in management structure will…

RESILIENCE AND RETIREMENT SECURITY: Performance of S-ESOP Firms in the Recession

Written by Phillip Swagel and Robert Carroll Executive Summary A study of a cross-section of Subchapter S firms with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan shows that S-ESOP companies performed better in 2008 compared to non-S-ESOP firms along a number of dimensions, including job creation, revenue growth, and providing for workers’ retirement security. The S-ESOPs paid their workers higher…

ESOP: Employee Ownership of Companies on the Rise

The ESOP – Employee Stock Ownership Plan – is, slowly, on the rise. These worker-owned businesses are more productive and could benefit the American economy. Shoppers eye goods at the bakery of King Arthur Flour Co. in Norwich, Vt. The employee-owned firm was able to expand from its niche to deliver a broad product line.…

ESOPs on the Rise Among Small Businesses

Small companies are rushing to reward workers with employee stock ownership plans as low valuations make awarding shares more attractive By Karen E. Klein Bob Moore gathered three employee shifts together last month for pizza parties to celebrate his 81st birthday. But Moore, the founder and president of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods in Portland, Ore., also…

New Study Documents ESOP Account Balances

The NCEO has just completed an analysis of Form 5500 retirement plan filings filed by ESOP companies. The Form 5500 data are prone to considerable reporting and transcription error and should be used with caution, but many of the results described below are in accord with prior research, with our experience, and with best estimates…