The Governing Board of the Western Pension & Benefits Council invites you to register for the following webinar:
Benefits and M&A: the Impact and Decision-Making Employers Face for their Retirement and Health and Welfare Plans
Thursday, March 19, 2026
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM PDT
Speakers
Sara Van Houten, Partner, Snell & Wilmer
Amber Lapointe, Associate, Snell & Wilmer
Continuing Education:
1 Hour of CE for the following:
AIF (pending), ASPPA, CA CPA, CA MCLE, CEBS, CFP (pending), ERPA, JBEA, NIPA
Registration:
$50 for active members of a WP&BC chapter
$65 non-members
Members, please login to get member rate. Contact your chapter for login credentials if needed.
Description
This presentation will walk you through the key considerations for qualified retirement plans and health and welfare plans at each stage of an M&A transaction, starting with the due diligence process and ending with post-closing integration considerations. We will discuss practical compliance and administrative considerations throughout.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore how the structure of a transaction impacts the treatment of, and decisions surrounding, employee benefit plans.
- Understand the due diligence process surrounding a seller’s employee benefit plans, and the most common problems identified during the diligence process.
- Understand the pre- and post-closing compliance and design considerations for both the seller and buyer’s employee benefit plans.
Speakers
Sara Van Houten
Sara Van Houten counsels employers regarding all aspects of the design, operation, and compliance of their employee benefit and executive compensation plans.
Sara advises clients on compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Affordable Care Act, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Sara works with public and private companies to design and draft incentive compensation programs, omnibus equity plans, severance plans and change in control arrangements. She also has extensive experience with Section 409A compliance and corrections.
Sara assists clients with qualified retirement plans, including Section 401(k), defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and health and welfare benefit plans, including high-deductible health plans, health savings accounts, cafeteria plans and flexible benefit plans. Her experience includes plan design and administration, drafting plan documents, SPDs and plan amendments, plan corrections, service provider and investment management agreement reviews, and preparing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor (DOL) submissions. Sara also helps clients with ERISA fiduciary issues and employee benefits planning in mergers and acquisitions.
Amberlee Lapointe
Amberlee Lapointe’s practice is focused on employee benefits, including employer compliance with the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code. Her experience includes counseling clients regarding the administration of, and preparing documentation for, qualified retirement plans (including, but not limited to, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, profit sharing plans, defined benefit plans, and cash balance plans), health and welfare plans (including, but not limited to, Section 125 cafeteria plans, ERISA “wrap” plans, and self-funded and insured group health plans), and executive compensation plans; the correction of plan and plan fiduciary failures under correction programs offered by the Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and the benefits-related due diligence matters in corporate transactions.
Amberlee serves as a member of Snell & Wilmer’s Attorney Development Committee and Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Committee.
Thank you to our webinar sponsor!
