401(k) Roundtable

Financial Wellness, while a very hot topic, is not yet mainstream. One reason could be there has not been a clear value proposition for the employer to invest the time and/or the money to roll it out.  Today, my conversation with Lynn Pettus, the National Leader for Ernst & Young's Employee Financial Services Practice sheds some light on that topic.  Our conversation begins with exploring what fin...

Nine years into a bull market, that generally gets people talking about bubbles.  Today, I am excited to have Rob Arnott, Chairman of Research Affiliates join me for a second round on the podcast!  Why have him back you might ask, well Rob and his firm manage nearly $200 Billion dollars and over the years have made some bold statements, pioneered several unconventional strategies and challenged co...

The idea of changing workplace retirement plan recordkeepers, or going through a "conversion" in retirement plan lingo, can be a daunting and stressful proposition if you are not familiar with the process.  If it has been a little while since you changed recordkeepers or if you just never had the pleasure, my conversation today with Tom Dennis, Director and Head of Defined Contribution Implementat...

While I've been in the retirement plan business for over twenty years now, one thing I had never found was an easy to read book that an employer or someone new to the business could pick up and finish in one or two sittings and get their arms around where our retirement plan system has been, where it is today and some ideas on where it is headed in the future.  My guest today Bob Reynolds, the Pre...

Are workplace retirement plans vulnerable to cyber threats?  When it comes to cyber threats & workplace retirement plans, what questions should employers be asking their retirement service providers to better understand their security policies?  I address these questions and much more with Lee Harms, Business Information Security Officer for the Principal Financial Group.   Guest Bio Lee Harms is...

Sometimes employers will comment, we don't hear to much about the 401(k) from our employees, well that's not because your employees don't have questions, it's likely because they are going elsewhere to get their answers!  To help uncover what 401(k) participants are doing outside the watchful eyes of their employers, is my guest Catherine Golladay, the Senior Vice President of Participant Services...

To Roth or not to Roth, that is the question.  With the option to make Roth contributions now offered in well over 50% of workplace retirement plans by most surveys, it is great to see more acceptance of Roth but there are still a lot employers who are either not making it available, or who might offer it but don't recognize the full scope of benefits it offers their employees.  To help inform the...

An offer to outsource or delegate your fiduciary responsibility for your workplace retirement plan can be pretty tempting! When you think about all the rules, tasks, processes, approvals and for that matter the time that you could save if you didn't have to do all that work, it might sound really good!  However, before you sign on the dotted line, my conversation with J.D. Carlson and Chad Johanse...

As the most recent bull market continues to mature, some retirement plan sponsors are either exploring or being encouraged to explore ways add diversification to their workplace retirement plan investment menus.  Incorporating exposure to Real Estate or REITS, has been one of the more popular strategies to add some variety to traditional stock and bond offerings.  While the REITs are offered in 31...

Excited to welcome back Peter Dunn, a.k.a. Pete the Planner to the podcast!  Our conversation was definitely one of the more entertaining ones that I have had on the podcast in recent memory.  This episode was inspired by a few recent discussions I had with workplace retirement plan sponsors who were wondering why their employees couldn't just go talk to their broker/advisor/wealth manager to get...

2017 started off with the winds of change blowing through Washington DC and to date has been nothing short of interesting and unexpected with the Trump administration at the helm for over seven months. Back in January, I discussed with Bob Holcomb, the head of legal and regulatory affairs at Empower Retirement some of the anticipated changes to workplace retirement plans that seemed imminent.  In...

The main focus of our conversation is determining if some common employer beliefs about retirement plan audits are truth or myth . John also pulls from his experience auditing well over 100 retirements plan each year to offer some tips to employers who are preparing for their first audit and best practices for some grizzled veterans to help their audit run smoothly. Guest Bio My guest today is Joh...

On previous episodes of the podcast we've heard from ERISA attorneys, consultants and various other specialists sharing their thoughts on how employers can mitigate their fiduciary risk.  Now, I am proud to share that the experiences of a 401(k) expert witness is no longer unchartered territory for us!  My guest, Jim Scheinberg, the Managing Partner and Founder of North Pier Fiduciary Management j...

More and more frequently when I see a news piece or industry article about 401(k) or workplace retirement plans, a key element is invariably fees.  Going one step further they also tend to highlight the advantages of low cost index or passively managed investments.  Based on my conversations with investment committees and retirement plan fiduciaries, there seems to be a few common reasons for the...

Its episodes like these that were one of my primary motivations for starting the podcast, examining current beliefs or messaging in the marketplace and applying contemporary critical thinking to examine if they are still valid and reliable for both employers and employees in workplace retirement plans.  If you sponsor a 401(k) or other workplace retirement plans you have likely been given some off...

Think for a minute about how much effort you and your retirement service partners have put into encouraging more employees to save and invest properly in your workplace retirement plan.  Now, turn the conversation around.  How much time and energy have you spent thinking about ways to help employees understand how to use their retirement savings to replace their income when they leave the workforc...

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...

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Target Date Funds (TDFs) have grown exponentially within the last few years. As a retirement plan fiduciary, it's important to understand not only what a TDF is but how to evaluate them and ensure the strategy you have chosen or might be considering is a good fit for your plan.  During my conversation with Jeff we provide some core concepts such as glide...

We turned the tables for the 75th episode of the 401(k) Friday's Podcast.  Whether you are a regular listener or new to the 401(k) Fridays Podcast, this should give you some good context as you listen to additional episodes.  We discuss the inspiration behind the podcast, the process for creating weekly content, how we identify topics and guests, a few philosophies and what we have planned for fut...

This is a replay of my conversation with Nicholas Dobelbower, Vice President and Practice Leader of Lockton's Global Benefits Practice.  Just a preview of things to come, your 401(k), it doesn't work outside the U.S.!  So, let's go for a trip around the globe to discuss the topics, trends and concepts employers who have employees outside the US should be aware of.  Whether you have newly acquired...

In our fast-paced world and ever evolving global financial markets, keeping your 401(k) investment menu consistent with the times can be challenging.  As the conversation swings to investments with a focus outside the US, the conversation can get complex and downright confusing!  With that in mind, Mike Quinn, Senior Client Portfolio Manager at OppenheimerFunds joins me this week to discuss the cu...

Employers and Retirement Plan Fiduciaries have the difficult task of selecting retirement plan advisors. The names and titles alone can be incredibly confusing! Of the 100,000 practicing advisors, 3,000 are active in the retirement market and may be considered "DC Specialists" as my guest  Robin Green , SVP & Head of Data & Analytics at Ann Schleck & Company | Fi360  would call them.  She breaks d...

When I ask employers if they have the information they need on the soon to launch state run retirement plans, I get reactions that range from "What state plans?" to "Great, sounds like another scheme to fix the mess with their pension plans!" These and other responses I have gotten haven't given me a lot of confidence that information, much less accurate information, is filtering down to employers...

I'll have to admit, when I first heard of Don Barden and the "Perfect Plan" I was pretty skeptical.  What does "perfect" mean?  Who gets to judge "perfect"?  My analytical mind was going crazy.  However, as I became more familiar with Don and the concepts and elements he believes in, I felt it definitely made sense to bring him onto the podcast.  My hope is that you will take away a few kernels of...

Debt impacts your employees ability to save for retirement, pursue other financial goals, their productivity and physical health!  You might be surprised to hear that based on Fidelity research, there are multiple generations and income levels that struggle with debt which might reframe some of your prior perceptions.  Probably most important though, Meghan shares a few ideas for employers who wan...