PensionPro Preferences

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The PensionPro Preferences are the global settings that allow a firm to tweak PensionPro to suit its particular needs. Options for many of PensionPro's features can be found within these preferences; this article details the effect of each setting.

 

Tier Availability: Track, Team, Business 

Security Rights Required: Maintenance 

 

Note: During the process of managing PensionPro Preferences, many preferences populate their dropdown options from established List Values. More information on List Values can be found in the article List Values.
Note: Some items may not be available in all tiers.

 

Table of Contents

 


 

Overview

Select Maintenance > Preferences > PensionPro to open the PensionPro Preference Maintenance tab.

 

The Views panel on the left separates preference types into relevant categories that can be expanded and collapsed, where appropriate. The available categories vary by tier level.

 


 

General Preferences

The General view category contains several preference types that represent PensionPro's core functionality. Selecting one of these types from the Views panel will display the relevant preferences in the grid on the right, along with values and short descriptions.

 

To edit a preference, hover over it in the grid, then select Editedit.png on the right-hand side.

 


 

Annual Data Collection

These preferences are used in conjunction with Annual Administration Projects, a type of Project that is performed yearly on a Plan, and often includes a Data Collection element by which Plan Sponsors submit any information necessary for tax filings or other administration purposes.

 

 

The following preferences apply to Data Collection Request emails that are sent manually from the Data Collection > General view within the Project tab, using the Send Emailmail.png option
Annual Data Collection Email Role

Determines which Plan Contact Role the Data Collection Request email is addressed to by default.

  • If the Plan does not contain this Contact Role, an error will be generated when attempting to use this feature.
Annual Data Collection Request Email Body The default message used as the Data Collection Request email body.
Annual Data Collection Request Email Subject The default subject line used for the Data Collection Request email.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the General step of Data Collection

Address Change Body Determines the content of the notification email that is sent to the TPA when a Plan Sponsor updates the Company address.
Address Change Recipient Email Address The email address where the notification is sent. This static address will be used if Address Change Recipient Role is blank or specifies an Employee Role that is not assigned for the relevant Plan.
Address Change Recipient Role

If set, the notification email will be sent to the Employee assigned to this Plan Role for the relevant Plan. May be left blank.

  • Options for this preference are determined by List Values, located under Core > Plan > Employee Plan Role
Annual Data Collection County Required for Address Type

If a county needs to be provided to the TPA, this preference determines which Address Type will require it. May be left blank.

  • Options for this preference are determined by List Values, located under Core > General > Address Type

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the Company step of Data Collection

NAIC Code Hyperlink Message

The text that the NAIC Code Link is added to.

  • Recommended: A brief instruction to click this link to search for an NAICS code.
NAIC Code Link

The URL of the firm's preferred NAIC lookup website.

  • Must be a valid URL.
  • If left blank, no link will be provided to the Plan Sponsor.
Prevent EIN Editing

When enabled, Plan Sponsors will be unable to add or edit any EIN information.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the Employees step of Data Collection
Census Import Column Mapping

When enabled, Plan Sponsors uploading an employee census can manually match column headers that PensionPro cannot identify. Disabling this setting will require the Plan Sponsor's spreadsheet columns to match PensionPro/PlanSponsorLink exactly.

Employees Step No W2s Message

The text that is displayed if the Plan Sponsor attempts to save the Employees step of Data Collection without entering any employee data.

  • Recommended: A message advising the Plan Sponsor that the Employees step will need to be completed if their company issues W-2 forms, as well as instructions to submit a K-1 or Schedule C directly to the TPA if necessary.
Enable Census Scrubbing on PSL

When enabled, PlanSponsorLink will perform data validation on census information, and provide errors or warnings when it detects any of the following issues:

  • Data has not been provided for a required field
  • Deferrals, Compensation, and/or Hours of Service are left blank
  • Date of Separation is prior to the current plan year
  • Participant age falls outside the minimum/maximum age preference
Full Name on Census Export

When enabled, an exported census will concatenate the First and Last Name columns into a single Full Name column.

Maximum Participant Age

If Census Scrubbing is enabled, a warning will be generated when a Participant's age exceeds this number.

Minimum Participant Age

If Census Scrubbing is enabled, a warning will be generated when a Participant's age falls below this number.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the Approval step of Data Collection
Annual Administration Check Submission Message

This main body of text will be shown on the Approval step.

  • Recommended: A request that the Plan Sponsor review the provided data for accuracy prior to submission.
Annual Administration Check Submission Title

This text displays above the Check Submission Message, and will be formatted in bold by default.

  • Recommended: A notice advising the Plan Sponsor to read the following message in its entirety.
Annual Data Collection Pop-up Body

This text will be displayed in a confirmation dialog at the very end of the Approval step, after the Plan Sponsor signs and submits the Data Collection.

  • Recommended: A notice advising the Plan Sponsor that they will receive a confirmation email.
Certification

This text will be displayed in a popup window after the Plan Sponsor selects Sign & Submit.

  • Recommended: A request that the Plan Sponsor provide their name and email, which signifies their confirmation that the data is complete and accurate.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the confirmation email that is sent to the Plan Sponsor following their submission of Data Collection
Data Collection Submission Email Body The default message used for the body of the confirmation email.
Data Collection Submission Email Subject
The default subject line of the confirmation email.

 

 


 

Blast Email

These preferences are used to connect PensionPro to the mail server that will handle the sending of Blast Emails. Details for these settings can be found in the article Blast Email - Preferences & Troubleshooting.

 


 

Data Security

Preferences in this view provide data integrity and security options for a number of PensionPro's features.

 

 

Allow Deletion of Notes When enabled, Notes can be deleted by any Employee. If disabled, Notes cannot be deleted.
Allow Editing of Default Project Time Codes Time Slips added from the Project tab will be prefilled with a default Time Code, as determined by the Project Template. When enabled, this setting allows an Employee to change this Time Code if necessary. If disabled, this Code cannot be changed from the default.
Available MFA Options This preference determines the method(s) by which a code is delivered to an Employee using Multi-Factor Authentication. Options are Email, Text message, or Email and Text.
Enable Authorized Computer Management Enables the Authorized Computer Management feature.
Enabled Authorized IP Address Management
Enables the IP Whitelisting feature.
Lock Year End Data
When enabled, Data Collection cannot be edited by the TPA while it is open for the Plan Sponsor to complete.
Note Editing Allowed
When enabled, Notes can be edited by any Employee. If disabled, Notes cannot be edited.

 

 


 

Document Specifications

This view manages preferences pertaining to Document Specifications.

 

 

Lock ftwilliam.com Document Specification Values
When set to Yes, an Employee with the Add/Edit Plan Doc Specs Security Right can edit Plan Specifications that were imported from ftwilliam.com. When set to No, editing is disabled.

 

 


 

Documents

The preferences in this view are specific to Plan Files and Project Files.

 

 

The following preferences apply to the notification email that is generated when a new File is uploaded and Show on PSL is set to Yes
Document Email Body

The default message used for the body of the notification email.

Document Email Subject

The default subject line of the notification email.

Document Email Use

If enabled, performing the above criteria will open a pre-formatted email in the Employee's default email application. If disabled, this feature will not be used.

 

 


 

General

These preferences affect various areas of PensionPro.

 

 

Include Completed Projects on Time Entry When enabled, completed Projects will be included when manually searching for Plans in the Add Time Slip window. If disabled, only in-progress Projects will be returned.+
Make "Save & New" Default When enabled, the Add Time Slip window displays the Save & Add button, which opens a new Time Slip after the first is saved. This can benefit Employees adding multiple Time Slips in succession. If disabled, Save is used instead.
Project Field Limit This value determines the number of occurrences that are shown by default for each Project Field on the Plan tab. The most recent occurrence(s) of each Project Field will be returned. Options are 1, 5, or 10.
Retrieval Time Span

This value determines the default time span to limit the number of items shown in areas such as Projects and Interactions.

  • This preference is deprecated and has no effect in PensionPro 2.0.
Set Interaction Originator Default
When enabled, the Employee creating an Interaction will automatically be added to it as a From participant.
Show On Hold Dialog On Client
When enabled, if a Plan is marked as On Hold, a notice will also appear when accessing the Client who owns the Plan. If disabled, the notice will only display on the Plan tab.
Show Timeslip Prompt
When enabled, an Employee completing a Task will receive a popup reminder asking if they submitted a Time Slip.

 

 


 

General Web Collection

These preferences are used in conjunction with General Web Collection Projects, a type of Project with a Data Collection element that requires Plan Sponsors to upload files and/or fill out a questionnaire using PlanSponsorLink.

 

 

The following preferences apply to Web Collection Request emails that are sent manually from the Data Collection > Questionnaire view within the Project tab, using the Send Emailmail.png option
General Web Collection Email Role

Determines which Plan Contact Role the General Web Collection Request email is addressed to by default.

  • If the Plan does not contain this Contact Role, an error will be generated when attempting to use this feature.
General Web Collection Request Email Body The default message used as the General Web Collection Request email body.
General Web Collection Request Email Subject The default subject line used for the General Web Collection Request email.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the Approval step of General Web Collection
General Web Collection Check Submission Message

This main body of text will be shown on the Approval step.

  • Recommended: A request that the Plan Sponsor review the provided data for accuracy prior to submission.
General Web Collection Check Submission Title

This text displays above the Check Submission Message, and will be formatted in bold by default.

  • Recommended: A notice advising the Plan Sponsor to read the following message in its entirety.
Certification

This text will be displayed in a popup window after the Plan Sponsor selects Sign & Submit.

  • Recommended: A request that the Plan Sponsor provide their name and email, which signifies their confirmation that the data is complete and accurate.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the confirmation email that is sent to the Plan Sponsor following their submission of General Web Collection
General Web Collection Submission Email Body The default message used for the body of the confirmation email.
General Web Collection Submission Email Subject
The default subject line of the confirmation email.

 

 


 

Notifications

The preferences in this view control system email notifications that are sent in various circumstances.

 

 

General notification preferences
Enable Email Notifications This setting enables or disables all email notifications across PensionPro.
Enable User Control

When enabled, Employees can turn various assignment notification emails on/off on an individual basis within their account preferences. If disabled, these emails are turned on/off globally.

  • If this option is set to Yes, the below preferences will be set to Controlled by User and cannot be edited globally.
Proposal Assignment Email Notification
Determines whether an Employee will receive an email when a Proposal is assigned to them.
Prospect Assignment Email Notification
Determines whether an Employee will receive an email when a Prospect is assigned to them.
Task Activation Email Notification
Determines whether an Employee will receive an email when a Task assigned to them becomes active.
Task Reassignment Email Notification
Determines whether an Employee will receive an email when a Task is reassigned to them.
To-Do Reassignment Email Notification
Determines whether an Employee will receive an email when a To-Do item is reassigned to them.
Worktray Reassignment Email Notification
Determines whether a Worktray's Employees will receive an email when a Task is reassigned to that Worktray.
Worktray Task Activation Email Notification
Determines whether a Worktray's Employees will receive an email when a Task assigned to that Worktray becomes active.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the notification email that is sent to the TPA when the Plan Sponsor requests changes to Plan Contact Roles on PlanSponsorLink
Contact Change Request Recipient Email
The email address where the notification is sent. This static address will be used if Contact Change Request Recipient Role is blank or specifies an Employee Role that is not assigned for the relevant Plan.
Contact Change Request Recipient Role

If set, the notification email will be sent to the Employee assigned to this Plan Role for the relevant Plan. May be left blank.

  • Options for this preference are determined by List Values, located under Core > Plan > Employee Plan Role

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the notification email that is sent to the TPA when the Plan Sponsor uploads a Fiduciary Document on PlanSponsorLink
Fiduciary Document Upload Recipient Email Address
The email address where the notification is sent. This static address will be used if Fiduciary Document Upload Recipient Role is blank or specifies an Employee Role that is not assigned for the relevant Plan.
Fiduciary Document Upload Recipient Role

If set, the notification email will be sent to the Employee assigned to this Plan Role for the relevant Plan. May be left blank.

  • Options for this preference are determined by List Values, located under Core > Plan > Employee Plan Role

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the notification emails that are sent when a Contact's email address is changed in PensionPro
Contact Email Notification Subject to Existing Email The subject line of the notification email sent to the Contact's previous email address.
Contact Email Notification Subject to Updated Email The subject line of the notification email sent to the Contact's new email address.
Contact Email Notification to Existing Email The body of the notification email sent to the Contact's previous email address.
Contact Email Notification to Updated Email The body of the notification email sent to the Contact's new email address.
Enable Email Address Notification Change When enabled, updating a Contact's email address will send a notification email to the previous and new addresses. If disabled, no notifications are sent.

 

 


 

PlanSponsorLink

The preferences in this view manage various aspects of PlanSponsorLink.

 

 

General PlanSponsorLink Preferences
Access Denied Message If the Website Operation option is set to No, this preference determines the message that the user will receive when attempting to access the PSL site.
Help Text This message is displayed at the top of the Contact Us page on PlanSponsorLink. May be left blank.
Login Screen Message This message is displayed at the bottom of the PlanSponsorLink login page. May be left blank.
PSL Logo
This image will be displayed on the PlanSponsorLink login page to match the firm's branding. The image dimensions must be no larger than 400 pixels in width and 200 pixels in height.
PlanSponsorLink Subdomain Name

This value will be included in the URL that Plan Sponsors will use to access the firm's PSL portal.

  • For example, if this value is set to firmname, the associated URL would become https://firmname.plansponsorlink.com
  • This value may only contain alphanumeric characters and hyphens.
  • This value must be unique, and cannot match the name used by another firm.
Secondary Login Screen Message

This message is displayed at the bottom of the PlanSponsorLink login page, underneath the first Login Screen Message. May be left blank.

Show Help File

When enabled, a built-in help module is available for PlanSponsorLink users. This may be disabled if the firm would prefer to provide its own help documentation.

Show Login Screen Message

When enabled, the Login Screen Message and Secondary Login Screen Message will be displayed. If disabled, these messages will not be shown.

Show Training Videos

When enabled, a built-in training module containing videos is available for PlanSponsorLink users. This may be disabled if the firm would prefer to provides its own video documentation.

Website Operation

Determines whether or not PlanSponsorLink is currently functional. When enabled, PSL will function normally. If disabled, PSL will be inaccessible.

Website Banner

This message will be displayed above the various tabs at the top of PlanSponsorLink after a user logs in. May be left blank.

Website Name

This text will appear at the top of PlanSponsorLink after a user logs in to display the firm's name or other branding.

 

 

 

The following preferences affect PlanSponsorLink login functionality
Enable Login Lockout When enabled, a PlanSponsorLink user who makes multiple unsuccessful login attempts will be locked from making further attempts for some period of time.
Login Locked Email Body

The body of the email sent to notify the user that they have been locked out of PlanSponsorLink.

Login Locked Email Subject

The subject of the email sent to notify the user that they have been locked out of PlanSponsorLink.

Multi-Factor Authentication

When enabled, Multi-Factor Authentication will be used for all Contacts attempting to log in to PSL. If disabled, MFA is not used.

 

 

 

PlanSponsorLink Tab Preferences
Contacts Title The label on the Contacts tab and the title of the Contacts page.
Data Collection Title The label on the Data Collection tab and the title of the Data Collection page.
Distribution Title
The label on the Distributions tab and the title of the Distributions page.
Document Title
The label on the Documents tab and the title of the Documents page.
Industry Bulletins Title
The label on the Bulletins tab and the title of the Bulletins page.
Project Title
The label on the Projects tab and the title of the Projects page.
Secure File Exchange Title
The label on the Secure File Exchange tab and the title of the Secure File Exchange page.
Show Bulletins Tab
When enabled, the Bulletins tab will be available to PlanSponsorLink users.
Show Contacts Tab
When enabled, the Contacts tab will be available to PlanSponsorLink users with the appropriate Website Rights.
Show Distributions Tab

When enabled, the Distributions tab will be available to PlanSponsorLink users with the appropriate Website Rights.

 

The following must also be true for a Plan Sponsor to see a Distribution within this tab:

  • Enable Distributions on PSL Distributions Tab on the Plan tab > General view must be set to Show.
Show Documents Tab
When enabled, the Documents tab will be available to PlanSponsorLink users with the appropriate Website Rights.
Show Projects Tab

When enabled, the Projects tab will be available to PlanSponsorLink users with the appropriate Website Rights.

 

The following must also be true for a Plan Sponsor to see a Project within this tab:

  • Enable Projects on PSL Projects Tab on the Plan tab > General view must be set to Yes.
  • Enable to Show on PSL Projects Tab on the Project tab > Summary view must be set to Yes.
Show Secure File Exchange Tab
When enabled, the Secure File Exchange tab will be available to PlanSponsorLink users.

 

 


 

PlanSponsorLink Style

The preferences in this view define the visual look of PlanSponsorLink.

 

Most of these preferences control the colors of various PlanSponsorLink elements, such as buttons, tabs, text, and backgrounds. This allows the look of PlanSponsorLink to be customized to match the firm's branding.

 

This article will not discuss each preference in detail. However, the Edit Preference window for any preference that controls color will contain a color picker on the left. Use the multicolored bar on the right side of the color picker to choose a hue, and then use the larger box on the left to choose saturation (left to right) and brightness (up to down). A preview of the color will appear in the box on the right.

 

Alternately, a hexadecimal color code can be entered into the Hex field; the color represented by the code will be chosen automatically. If a Red/Blue/Green color combination is preferred instead, select Change Formatchange.png to switch to individual R, G, and B fields.

 

  • The Hex field accepts a 6-digit string of alphanumeric characters using the values 0-9 and A-F.
  • Each RGB field accepts an integer between 0-255.

 

Select Revertrevert.png to return the color to its currently-saved state, or select Save to set the new color.

 

 


 

Secure File Exchange

These preferences manage settings for the Secure File Exchange feature.

 

 

General Secure File Exchange preferences
Interaction Type

Determines the Interaction Type for any Interaction records created when a Secure File Exchange is sent. Options are Secure File Exchange or Distribution Project.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply when an Employee sends a Secure File to a Contact
New Exchange Email Body
The body of the email used to notify the recipient that a new file is available.
New Exchange Email Subject The subject of the email used to notify the recipient that a new file is available.
Outgoing Expiration Days Default By default, files sent to a Contact via Secure File Exchange will be automatically deleted after the number of days specified by this value. Options are 7, 14, 30, and 90.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply when a Contact sends a Secure File to an Employee
Incoming Exchange Email Body
The body of the email used to notify the recipient that a new file is available.
Incoming Exchange Email Subject The subject of the email used to notify the recipient that a new file is available.
Incoming Expiration Days Default By default, files sent from a Contact to the TPA via Secure File Exchange will be automatically deleted after the number of days specified by this value. Options are 7, 14, 30, and 90.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply to the notification email that is sent to the recipient of a file if the file is deleted before it has been accessed
Deleted Exchange Email Body
The body of the email used to notify the recipient that the file has been deleted.
Deleted Exchange Email Subject The subject of the email used to notify the recipient that the file has been deleted.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply when a Secure File is downloaded by a Contact
Read Notification Email Body
The body of the email used to notify the Employee that the file has been downloaded.
Read Notification Email Subject The subject of the email used to notify the Employee that the file has been downloaded.
Read Notifications
Determines whether or not the above notification email is sent when a file is downloaded. Options are Do not notify me, Notify me the first time, and Notify me every time.

 

 

 

The following preferences apply when a Secure File has not been downloaded by a Contact after some period of time
Reminder Email Body
The body of the email used to remind the Contact that the file has not yet been downloaded.
Reminder Email Subject The subject of the email used to remind the Contact that the file has not yet been downloaded.
Reminder Frequency
Determines how often the Contact will be reminded that a Secure File Exchange is available for download. Options are 7 Days or Never.

 

 


 

Single Sign-On

These preferences are used during the process of enabling Single Sign-On, which allows Employees to log in to PensionPro using their existing security credentials and bypassing the need for a password. Information on these preferences can be found in the article Single Sign-On (SSO) Authentication.

 


 

Web Steps

The Web Steps view category allows the firm to provide instructions to Plan Sponsors completing Data Collection on PlanSponsorLink. This category contains two views—Annual Administration and General Web Collection—representing two types of Data Collection.

 

Each view contains the steps that a Plan Sponsor will see when they perform Data Collection for either an Annual Administration or a General Web Collection Project. To edit a web step, hover over it in the grid, then select Editedit.png on the right-hand side.

 

The Title of each step can be altered as desired, as can the Description, which might be used to instruct Plan Sponsors as to how each step should be performed.

 

HTML tags, such as <strong> and <a>, may be used within the Description.

 


 

Fee Schedule

The Fee Schedule view is where Fee Schedule Templates can be added and managed before they are added to Plans. This view is discussed in more detail in the article Fee Schedules.

 


 

Field Descriptions & Collection Fields

The Field Descriptions view contains the various fields that might be used on an employee census to collect participant information during Data Collection. It works in tandem with the PlanSponsorLink.com Collection Fields view, where these fields are added to the census for each different Plan Type.

 

Both of these views are covered in greater detail in the article Collection Fields for Census Data.