“Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we’ve got 24 hours each.”

– Christopher Rice

Welcome to the January Edition of Ryan’s Retirement Ramblings – The monthly newsletter that will bring you the latest developments from the qualified plan space & provide updates for the retirement team at Wheeler Retirement Plans.


On A Personal Note…

The Coole family made their last trip to the ESPN studios to watch my oldest daughter compete in the Collegiate Dance Nationals for the final time. It was bittersweet watching her compete for the last time as a dancer. My wife and I remember enrolling her into dance when she was 3 years old. It’s all we’ve known. Time for her to begin a new chapter in life as she applies to Grad/Med school. She went out a champion in our hearts….oh and also 2nd Place according to the Judges. We love you Mad.



DOL and IRS Provide Hurricane Relief Guidance

The Department of Labor (DOL), in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), released a statement in November detailing disaster relief measures for employee benefit plans, participants and sponsors affected by Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Helene and Hurricane Milton. While the guidance applies broadly to health, welfare and retirement plans, the following provisions are specifically relevant to retirement plan sponsors and….


Supreme Court Declines Arbitration Case: What Plan Sponsors Need to Know


The Supreme Court has again declined to address whether ERISA disputes can be resolved through arbitration, leaving plan sponsors with more questions than answers. The court’s decision in Argent Trust Co. v. Ramon Cedeno et al. highlights the ongoing circuit split regarding arbitration provisions in ERISA-covered plans. While some courts uphold these provisions, others invalidate them, forcing sponsors to grapple with conflicting legal interpretations. Here’s how this unresolved issue impacts plan….


Portability Services Network Expands Impact


According to a recent release, the Portability Services Network (PSN), which began with three of the biggest recordkeepers in the country just over a year ago, has now grown to include three additional providers, covering over 15,000 retirement plans and 5 million members….


Participant Corner

Reexamining your finances at the start of the year may not seem as exciting as making a commitment to healthier habits or fitness objectives, but financial wellness is closely related to both mental and physical health. You might be surprised at how simple it is to take charge of your finances. The following actions will assist you in reaching financial success in 2025 and beyond:….


Mr. C’s Movie Review

Maybe it’s just me, but when I see Hugh Grant is the star of a particular film, my mind goes back to Noting Hill or Love Actually. Hugh Grant in a horror movie?! Hugh Grant as a total creep?! Or maybe, just maybe, Hugh does belong here! Maybe horror is Hugh’s true calling, and did he waste 30 years of his career on romantic comedies! Hugh Grant is horrifyingly disturbing as Mr. Reed in Heretic.

This horror movie spends the first 45 minutes in a dialogue heavy exposition setting up the final act of physical horror. The story starts with two “sisters” from the Later Day Saints, Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East), knocking on the door in the pouring rain of the unnerving Mr. Reed. As any good neighbor would probably do, Mr. Reed invites the girls into his house to escape the elements. Queue, front door locking without the key. When the girls explain they are not allowed to be in the house without a husband and wife in the room; queue Mr. Reed’s wife baking a blueberry pie or is she?! I didn’t expect a horror script full of theological enquiries and debates but when Mr. Reed lays out the paths for the sisters to leave after a spirited religious walk thru history; the action begins. Many of the things Reed says about various aspects of religion are spun to tell on himself on what is to come in the final 45 minutes.

When “Sisters” Barnes and Paxton are lured into Reed’s eerie basement, Heretic maneuvers into more familiar and grotesque territory. Verbal terror turns into physical horror; queue the blood and at times difficult conclusions reached by our titular characters. The rest of the movie unravels a little too conveniently for my taste but it’s hard to wrap up a story built on such divisive subjects cleanly. PS: the link with Radiohead’s “Creep” in the first couple of lines isn’t coincidental. The film makes great use of the brilliant song, as well as of “The Air that I Breath” by The Hollies.

On a scale of: “Like It”, “Love It”, or “Gotta Have It”; it’s a “Love It” for me. This movie is not for everyone due to the religious tilt the director weaved into the storyline. If the movie going audience goes into the theater with an open mind, Hugh Grant’s role as the master Orator is a fun spin into the madness of life and death. Give it a watch if nothing else to watch one of our greatest rom-com actors in the role he was born to play.

RYAN COOLE, CRPS®
QUALIFIED PLAN DIRECTOR / PARTNER