Audit receipt: your Nova Southeastern 401(k)

Source: Nova Southeastern University 401(k) Summary Plan Description, 31 pages · language: EN · a plain-language rewrite of the plan summary

SIMPLE score

Scored 0 to 4 per dimension by the adversarial auditor. Passing floor: 3 on every dimension.

Original vs simplified

Before = the locked Stage 1 baseline of the original plan summary. After = the auditor's re-scoring of the rewrite.

Efficiency

Reading grade is Flesch-Kincaid (target 6 or below for benefits content), from a crude in-house counter, not a certified engine. Word count compares the full 31-page source with the reader-facing prose on the new page; detail the source spread across 12 articles is kept in expandable panels.

What was done

• Led with the answer: the 4% + 4% match, buried in Article III, moved to the first screen as the hero and the one move that captures it.
• Turned the plan into four numbered actions (save 4%, name a beneficiary, plan to stay 3 years, call the office), each with real data and the plan phone inline.
• Explained vesting as a plain 3-year rule with a progress bar, instead of two 0%/100% schedule tables.
• Defined beneficiary, safe harbor match, vested, salary deferral, and entry date at the term; removed all defined-term legalese blocks.
• Moved contribution limits, withdrawals, loans, taxes, death benefits, claims, and plan facts into expandable panels, kept off the first screen.
• Rewrote issuer voice: "your Employer will make" became "the university adds"; no issuer "we" on the page.
• Kept every source fact verbatim and grep-verified each dollar, percent, date, and the single phone number 954-262-5272 against the extracted text.
• Added a live match calculator: enter your pay and savings rate to see what you put in, the guaranteed match Nova Southeastern adds, the total, and any match left on the table. It runs the plan's own formula (100% of your savings up to 4% of pay) and leaves out the discretionary match, which is not guaranteed. Hand-checked against the plan text (W17).
• Added a "Special cases and extra credit" panel for rules that apply only to some people, each written in plain language with its plan section noted: prior years with Museum of Art, Inc. count toward both getting the match and the 3-year vesting; participants coded 1031 can take an in-service withdrawal at age 55 from their match, nonelective, and rollover accounts (but not their own savings or safe harbor money before 59½); the guaranteed match only starts once you are 21 with a year of service; and reemployed veterans may get military-service credit.
• Attached a plain definition to the vesting 3-year rule: a year of service means 1,000 hours worked in a 12-month period, so part-time years may not count.