401(k) Roundtable

If you are looking for a some timely insights on where the economy and markets head from here, my conversation today with Dr. David Kelly, CFA Managing Director and Chief Global Strategist for J.P. Morgan Asset Management hits the mark.   We cover arguments for why the bull market may continue and why a bear market could set in.   We also share some thought provoking points for individuals sitting...

I don't know who said it first, but every company is a technology company.   That becomes very evident during my conversation with Tom Conlon of Betterment, a start-up fintech company or what some also refer to as a Robo Advisor in the 401(k) space.   Tom does a great job sharing how technology enabled companies are looking to disrupt the 401(k) space for companies and plans of all sizes.   You wi...

The mere thought of a 401(k) lawsuit can send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced retirement plan fiduciary.   However, when you have a grasp on why workplace retirement plans are being sued, how the economics of a lawsuit work and what you can do to make the job of a plaintiff's attorney harder, the risk can be a little easier to manage.   For answers to these and more questions,...

Happy New Year and here is looking forward to another successful year on the 401(k) Fridays Podcast! We kick things off with my conversation with Jason Roberts, ERISA Attorney and the Founder & CEO of the Pension Resource Institute.   As a prior and early podcast guest, the two prior episodes we did are still very relevant.   While you don't need to listen to them prior to this conversation, they...

With market volatility picking up and unique things happening on almost a daily basis, my conversation today with Jeff Shulze, CFA and Investment Strategist withClear Bridge investments is both timely and full of perspective.   In classic 401(k) Fridays Podcast fashion be define a few important terms and concepts that keep popping up in the headlines and offer some perspective on how they are movi...

Stable value funds, what are they, how do they work and what should you consider if you have one, thinking about moving to a new one or making the switch from a money market account.   My guest, Bob Madore, a Vice President and Stable Value Portfolio Manager with T. Rowe Price answers these questions and much more.   I start out with a pretty pointed question right out of the gate that sets the to...

When we get the question of "What is the best strategy for me to save for retirement" and it comes for an entrepreneur, the answer is seldom as simple as it might seem.  So, where and how do you start?   We thought it would be helpful to cover a few key concepts and then follow the progression of an entrepreneur along their journey from a "solopreneur" with an idea or inspiration for a business to...

This is a pretty straightforward episode, Collective Investment Trusts, or CITs are more widely available as options for plan fiduciaries and their service providers to utilize in their investment line-ups, they are still misunderstood by many.   To help inform the conversation I have Rob Barnett, Vice President of Wilmington Trust and Head of their Institutional Retirement Sales & Service.   I am...

Today is a real treat, not only is this a timely episode based on current market conditions but we welcome back Rob Arnott, the Founder & Chairman of Research Affiliates who manages billions of dollars and who for the third time, shares his insights with us on the podcast.   If you have missed any of our prior conversations go check them out after you finish this one, in 2016 we talked about wheth...

Maybe you're are like me, you have heard the term blockchain before, but if someone asked you to define it, you would have a tough time.   Hopefully after you listen to my conversation with Micheal Barry, an author and President of O3 Plan Advisory Services, you will have a better idea of what blockchain is, and how it could impact 401(k) and other workplace retirement plans in the future. During...

From time to time we will take a side trip off the 401(k) path and explore other related topics.   Today is a great example of this where we take a minute to explore the 401(k) cousins if you will, in 403(b) and 457 plans.   My guest, Sandy Blair is a Director and CALSTRS or the California Teachers Retirement System and a board member at the NAGDCA, or the National Association of Governmental Defi...

Do the largest 0.1% of workplace retirement plans in the country or the "Mega Plans" do things the same as the other 99.9% of plans? As you will hear from my guest, Charlie Nelson, CEO of Retirement & Employee Benefits of VOYA Financial, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I had a few technical issues and distractions on my end to deal with right before we got started but once we got going th...

If you have been searching for a candid overview on the state of workplace retirement plan education in the world of automatic enrollment and changing technology, then look no further than this episode with Catherine Golladay, Senior Vice President for Participant Services & Administration at Charles Schwab.   During this fast paced conversation we hit on what is working and not working with 401(k...

Based on the recent IRS private letter ruling I though this would be a good episode from the archives to repost. While this episode is almost two years old, my guest, Tony Aguilar, who at the time was the co-founder and CEO of Student Loan Genius could not be more current and relevant about the realities and challenges that come with student debt. What you might be surprised to hear is that nearly...

This episode is a perfect example of one where I get to use the podcast as my own research lab and learn right along side of you.   Environmental, Social & Governance investments, or ESG or is it ES&G strategies, is a new topic here on the podcast and one that i have been looking forward to exploring.   Their popularity seems to have ebbed and flowed in the 401(k) investment world, but as a strate...

  Guest Bio Kevin Murphy is a senior vice president and Head of the Defined Contribution Strategic Accounts team for Franklin Templeton's US Investment-Only division. He is responsible for directing and expanding sales of mutual funds and sub-advised portfolio products in employer-sponsored retirement plans. In addition to leading the team of Strategic Account Managers, his primary focus is on mid...

We have talked about financial wellness on the podcast before, but not like this. My conversation today with Bill Harmon, President of Retirement Corporate Markets for Voya Financial illustrates how a thoughtful approach to financial wellness can help you become the employer of choice in your market and make a meaningful difference in the battle to attract and retain key talent. As you will hear,...

This episode was a real treat for me and hopefully will be for you. I am excited share my conversation with The Honorable Phyllis Borzi, the former Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration under President Obama.  We covered a range of topics that regardless of your involvement with workplace retirement plans should keep your interest. I am also proud that whil...

Maybe I'm a little early with the football analogy, but it seemed to fit. Today, we welcome back Tom Clark, an ERISA Attorney and Partner at The Wagner Law Group as we discuss five 401(k) fiduciary fumbles we see plan sponsors make.  As a return guest who I have gotten to know  pretty well, we have a little fun and share some insight along the way. Whether it is clarifying the importance of fiduci...

Welcome back to new episodes of the 401(k) Fridays Podcast! After taking a little hiatus in July I am really excited about what we have in store for the remained of the year.   Also, during our little break I updated the podcast intro, if you skipped it go back and give it a quick listen.   We also updated the website, thank you Jonah and Annie at Puddlecreative. Go to 401kfridays.com and check th...

We are taking a brief summer hiatus. Enjoy this episode from the archives. New episodes will resume again in August. Enjoy! This episode is fresh out of the 401(k) Fridays Podcast experiment lab.  Today my guest JD Carlson, the President & CEO of the legendary Third Party Administration firm Plan Design Consultants and Host of the Retireholi(k)s show we poke a little bit of fun with 401(k) speak. ...

Employers consistently want to know what other employers are doing in their 401(k) plan. In this episode we drill into the decisions employers are making about plan design, investment options, fiduciary process and employee retirement outcomes. The heavy lifting is done by Derek Wallen, a SVP at Fidelity and architect of their annual Plan Sponsor Attitudes Survey.   Derek does a nice job highlight...

Its getting to be that time of year again, no not that time of year, its time to plan for benefits open enrollment. Over the last several years all the changes and activity in health plans has grabbed the headlines and the lions share of the focus of employee meetings. This year, and going forward where does the 401(k) plan fit? To shed some light on this I am happy to have Peg Knox who today is t...

There has been vast improvement by retirement plan fiduciaries when it comes to reviewing fees and investments.   We even see more retirement plan committee who check the box on other important fiduciary tasks. But does that mean they have a good governance process?   With that said, what is fiduciary governance, what does good governance look like and can you be a top notch fiduciary but leave yo...

Believe it or not, but it has been over six months since we have tackled about financial wellness on the podcast. Today, Chris Whitlow, the Founder & CEO of Edukate, address the red hot topic. In our conversation today we tackle an interesting thought on financial wellness, despite nearly everyone talking about it, are employers actually embracing it? We share some thoughts on that along with four...