Chances are your plan administrator talks to at least one trustee about what’s going to be discussed at your board of trustee meeting in advance of that meeting. If that trustee isn’t you, consider asking your plan administrator to prepare and distribute an agenda to the trustees ahead of the meeting.

Board of Trustee meetings where an agenda has been prepared and distributed ahead of time are often quicker and more efficient. Perhaps more importantly, an advance agenda will help keep you from being surprised at the meeting.

To that end, also ask the plan administrator to include any documents or reports with the agenda that will be discussed at the meeting. Obviously, some documents may be confidential or privileged and don’t lend themselves to distribution but the majority will be suitable for early distribution.

Remember, by having an agenda and documentation ahead of time, trustees can come prepared to work. Not only won’t time be lost at the meeting while trustees try to quickly read documents, but it also allows the trustee to spend the time necessary to really study the report or document and prepare questions where appropriate.