401(k) Plan - My Lowe's Life

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Benefit Assignment orTransfer∗Your account in the Plan cannot be sold, assigned, ortransferred before distribution except under terms of aQualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) or pursuant to ajudgment, order, decree, or settlement agreement enteredagainst you as part of any civil or criminal procedure involvingmisuse of Plan assets. Before distribution, your benefits underthe Plan are not subject to any debts or claims against youexcept as specified above.The Plan allows for an immediate lump sum payment to analternate payee under a QDRO even though the participant maynot yet be eligible to receive a distribution from the Plan.However, an alternate payee under a QDRO is not eligible toreceive a hardship withdrawal, an age 59 1 ⁄ 2 distribution, or a 20-year one-time withdrawal from your ESOP account under thePlan. A participant or alternate payee (or prospective alternatepayee) may obtain Plan account information as well as a freecopy of the Plan’s QDRO procedures and a model QDRO fromthe Plan administrator. In addition, if you have questionsregarding a QDRO, you may call1-336-658-4067 .Statement of Rights underERISA*The Plan is governed by and subject to the reporting anddisclosure, participation and vesting, fiduciary responsibility,and enforcement provisions of ERISA.As a participant in the Plan, you are entitled to certain rightsand protections under ERISA. ERISA provides that all Planparticipants will be entitled to:• Receive information about your Plan and benefits.• Examine, without charge, at the Plan administrator’s officeand at other specified locations, such as work sites, alldocuments governing the Plan, including insurancecontracts, collective bargaining agreements, and a copy ofthe latest annual report (Form 5500 series) filed by the Planwith the U.S. Department of Labor and available at thePublic Disclosure Room of the Employee Benefits SecurityAdministration.• Obtain, upon written request to Lowe’s, copies of alldocuments governing the operation of the Plan, includinginsurance contracts and collective bargaining agreements,copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 series), andupdated summary plan description. Lowe’s may make areasonable charge for the copies.• Receive a summary of the Plan’s annual financial report.Lowe’s is required by law to furnish each participant with acopy of the Plan’s summary annual report.• Obtain a statement telling you the value of your accountsunder the Plan. This statement must be provided to you freeof charge. The statement may be requested through thePlan’s web site or via telephone at 1-877-236-5693. ThePlan is not required to make an account statement availableto you free of charge more than once every calendar quarter.Normally you will automatically receive this statement onceeach quarter via the Plan’s web site (unless you haveterminated service, in which case you will receive astatement by mail).Prudent Actions by Plan FiduciariesIn addition to creating rights for Plan participants, ERISAimposes duties on the people who are responsible for theoperation of the Plan. The people who operate the Plan, calledfiduciaries of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in theinterest of you and other Plan participants and beneficiaries.No one, including your employer, or any other person, may fireyou or otherwise discriminate against you in any way toprevent you from obtaining a pension benefit from the Plan orexercising your rights under ERISA.Enforce Your RightsAccount distributions under the Plan will normally be madewithout participants or beneficiaries having to file claims forbenefits. However, if you (or your beneficiary) do not receive adistribution to which you (or your beneficiary) believe you (oryour beneficiary) are entitled, you (or your beneficiary) maypresent a claim in writing to the Administrative Committee forany unpaid benefits.∗Specific portions of this document, designated with an asterisk (*), constitutepart of a prospectus covering securities that have been registered under theSecurities Act of 1933If your claim for a pension benefit under the Plan is denied, inwhole or in part, you must receive a written explanation of thereason for the denial. You have the right to have theCommittee review and reconsider your claim.14
401(k) PlanUnder ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the aboverights. For instance, if you request materials from the Plan anddo not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit in afederal court. In such a case, the court may require Lowe’s toprovide the materials and pay you up to $110 a day until youreceive the materials, unless the materials were not sentbecause of reasons beyond the control of Lowe’s. If you have aclaim for benefits that is denied or ignored, in whole or in part,you may file suit in a state or federal court (see “Claims forBenefits” below). In addition, if you disagree with the Plan’sdecision or lack thereof concerning the qualified status of adomestic relations order, you may file suit in federal court.If it should happen that Plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan’smoney, or if you are discriminated against for asserting yourrights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department ofLabor, or you may file suit in a federal court. The court willdecide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you aresuccessful, the court may order the person you have sued to paythese costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to paythese costs and fees if, for example, it finds your claim wasfrivolous.Assistance with Your QuestionsIf you have any questions about the Plan, you should contactthe Plan administrator, care of the Lowe’s Retirement BenefitsDepartment, at 1-704-758-1000. The mailing address for theLowe’s Retirement Benefits Department is Lowe’s Companies,Inc., Mail Code NB2CB, 1000 Lowe’s Boulevard, Mooresville,NC 28117. Only the Plan administrator is authorized to answerquestions about the Plan.If you have any questions about this statement or about yourrights under ERISA, or if you need assistance in obtainingdocuments from the Plan administrator, you should contact thenearest office of the Employee Benefits SecurityAdministration, U.S. Department of Labor, listed in yourtelephone directory, or the Division of Technical Assistanceand Inquiries, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S.Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20210. You may also obtain certainpublications about your rights and responsibilities under ERISAby calling the publications hotline of the Employee BenefitsSecurity Administration (1-866-444-3272) or visiting theEmployee Benefits Security Administration’s web site,www.dol.gov/ebsa/.Resale of Shares AcquiredUnder The Plan∗Unless you are an affiliate of Lowe’s (for example, a director orexecutive officer), any shares of Lowe’s common stockacquired by you under the Plan are freely transferable upondistribution from the Plan. Affiliates of Lowe’s may resell suchshares upon compliance with the applicable provisions ofRule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933.Claims for BenefitsAs stated previously, distributions from your Plan account willnormally be made without any need for you to file a claim forbenefits. However, if you do not receive a distribution to whichyou believe you are entitled, you may file a claim with theAdministrative Committee for any unpaid benefits. Allquestions and claims regarding benefits under this Plan will bedecided by the Administrative Committee. The AdministrativeCommittee has the full and exclusive discretion to interpret andadminister the Plan and the Plan’s trust agreement (including,but not limited to, the full and exclusive discretion to resolve allquestions relating to eligibility and to determine the amount ofbenefits payable under the Plan (including as hardshipwithdrawals)) and to make rules, regulations, computations,interpretations, and decisions under the Plan. The Committeemay allocate any of its responsibilities among its members andmay (to the extent permitted by ERISA) delegate any of itsrights and responsibilities to any other person or organization.If you wish to file a claim for benefits with the Committee, youmust do so in writing, addressed to the AdministrativeCommittee c/o Lowe’s Retirement Benefits Department, at1000 Lowe’s Boulevard, Mail Code NB2CB, Mooresville, NC28117. If documentary evidence is available to support yourclaim, you must submit that evidence with your claim; or, if theevidence is not in your possession you must indicate in yourwritten claim where the documentary evidence may be located.Please note that you are entitled to receive, upon request andfree of charge, reasonable access to and copies of alldocuments, records, and other information relevant to yourclaim.∗Specific portions of this document, designated with an asterisk (*), constitutepart of a prospectus covering securities that have been registered under theSecurities Act of 193315
Page 6 and 7: You may contribute between1% and 50
Page 8 and 9: is made out directly to you (instea
Page 10 and 11: Distributions from thePlan∗Approx
Page 12 and 13: Hardship Withdrawal request forms a
Page 16 and 17: Claims ProcedureIf your claim for b

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