The Fiduciary U™ Podcast

For more than 20 years, Jason Chepenik has been recognized as a thought leader and advocate for the retirement industry, testifying in 2008 before the Department of Labor’s ERISA Advisory Council on the spend-down issues of corporate retirement plans. Jason joins the show today to discuss numerous interesting topics, including his transition from running and owning his family business to selling t...

Michael Kirschman is the Co-Founder of Plan Notice, a new service that helps companies track and manage communications with its retirement plan participants. Today Michael joins the show to discuss the interesting path that he followed to becoming a financial advisor, how he came up with the idea for Plan Notice, and his unique approach to pricing for his service. Listen in as he shares a bit abou...

Providing women with a voice and a seat at the table in the leadership of advisory firms is an essential step toward the equality this industry needs. Today’s guest, Leah Sylvester, knows this as well as anyone. A Partner and Director of Retirement Plan Services for Shepherd Financial, LLC., Leah joins the show today to share both her successes and failures with the kind of honesty that is incredi...

Our guest today is Troy Redstone , the founder of PHD. Retirement Consulting and the author of two books, Repurposement and 401(k) Architecture . He is currently the President of the Retirement Advisor Council, and he has also served as the President and Chair of the Employee Benefits Institute. In this episode, Troy and I discuss why a company’s corporate culture is a good indicator of whether th...

Our guest today is Tom Schrandt, Vice President at Lockton Affinity LLC, a Lockton Companies subsidiary that specializes in insuring small businesses, non-profits, associations, groups, and franchises. Due to ERISA litigation, the fiduciary liability insurance market is really in turmoil— many plan sponsors either can’t get coverage or they're being quoted pretty insane deductibles that make it in...

Marko Ungaschick is the CEO of GoalPath Solutions and a Founding Partner at Two West Advisors, which collectively have over $300B in assets under management. Marko has led GoalPath to become one of the industry's leading partners in helping advisors build and grow successful retirement practices. Today Marko joins the show to discuss advisor outsourcing, delivering financial wellness, managing acc...

My guest today is Stuart Ritter who is Retirement Insights Leader at T. Rowe Price. A gifted researcher, communicator, and thought leader in the retirement industry, Stuart joins me to discuss T. Rowe Price’s recently published research on retirees' spending and savings patterns, preferences, and priorities—much of which flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Listen in as Stuart shares the diff...

My guest today is Jim Sampson, the Director of Retirement Advisory Services at Hilb Group Retirement Services. Jim has an amazing ability to simplify complex ideas and spends a significant amount of time educating his clients to ensure they know exactly what is going on at all times. In this episode, Jim and I discuss the merger of his prior firm into Hilb in 2015, as well as the benefits of being...

Today my guest is Holly Knight, Director of Retirement Outcomes for Sapers & Wallack. Holly leads their financial wellness initiatives, utilizing technology and analytics, as well as active listening and experience to guide plan participants toward the goals they want to achieve for retirement—and beyond. In this episode, Holly and I discuss her personal story of growing up in poverty and her...

Alex Assaley is the managing principal at AFS 401(k) Retirement Services, LLC. In his role, he makes complex retirement plans simple for employers by helping them navigate the myriad of regulatory and oversight requirements. Alex does not need any introduction in the advisory space, having been named as one of NAPA’s top retirement plan advisors under 40. Today he joins the show to discuss how the...

Ary Rosenbaum is an ERISA/retirement plan attorney for his firm, The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C., where he helps plan sponsors reduce their plan cost, facilitate administration, and limit their fiduciary liability. Today Ary joins the show to discuss how M&A is impacting the industry in general (including TPA firms), what advisors should look for in TPA partners, and how to be a better partner you...

Jania Stout is Managing Director and Co-Founder of Fiduciary Plan Advisors, which was recently acquired by One Digital. Jania is one of the most well-known advisors within the industry and a great ambassador for the retirement profession. On today’s episode, she joins the show to discuss her journey to becoming a hugely successful independent advisor, as well as her advice for building a thriving...

Vince Morris is the President of OneDigital's retirement & wealth division as well as its registered investment adviser, OneDigital Investment Advisors. Vince is a rock-star within the industry, providing key insights and guidance as OneDigital supports holistic workforce strategy conversations surrounding the convergence of health, wealth, and retirement. Today he joins the show to have a con...

Will Collins-Dean is a Senior Portfolio Manager & Vice President as well as Chair of the Investment Stewardship Committee at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where he translates academic research into sustainable investment solutions for his clients. Today he joins the show to discuss environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, specifically the landscape of ESG investing and the differen...

Chris Walters is the founder and CEO of GradFin, a financial services technology company that provides innovative solutions that address America’s student debt crisis. He has helped thousands of borrowers find savings on their student loans and stay in compliance with the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Today Chris joins the show to discuss the current legislative environment as it relate...

Liz Davidson is the CEO and Founder of Financial Finesse, a Los Angeles based firm providing millions of Americans with access to unbiased financial guidance through workplace financial wellness solutions. As an advocate for investors, Liz is a pioneer of the financial wellness movement, and she joins the show today to discuss the benefit of providing financial coaching and education instead of ad...

My guest today is Jerry Schlichter, founding and managing partner of Schlichter Bogard & Denton. If you work in the retirement industry or are a fiduciary to a mega plan, you know all about Jerry.  He's been featured in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, USA Today, and the The Wall Street Journal, for his success in pioneering claims of excessive...

Our guest today is Nevin Adams, the Chief Content Officer for the American Retirement Association, where he is responsible for all marketing and communicating for the organization. Nevin is one of the most well-respected and thoughtful industry commentators within the retirement space, and I am thrilled to have him on the show.  In this episode, we discuss the current ERISA litigation environment...

Many of us spend years preparing for a future we expect, but when it comes down to it, things never seem to go as planned. Our guest today is a big believer in planning for the unexpected, as life has a tendency to throw us curve-balls. Ross Marino, Founder of Transitus Wealth Partners and CEO of Advisor2X, joins the show to discuss his new book Shaping Change: How To Respond When Life Disrupts Yo...

How can retirement plan advisors leverage technology to drive efficiency and increase profitability when conducting RFPs? My guest today is Benetic CEO Ray Conley. Benetic is a new advisor-centric platform that brings together record keepers, asset managers, and other service providers. Advisors can search for and select plan service providers, choose a fund lineup, and generate a proposal in minu...

A retirement plan audit tends to be pretty low on the "fun" scale for most plan sponsors.  However, plan audits are both required for larger plans and play an important role in the successful management of a retirement plan. Today Brad Bartells, Partner and Plan Auditor at MUN CPAs, will be joining the show to share his expertise on how plan sponsors can prepare for their plan audit and what advis...

Matt Wolniewicz is the President of Income America, and he holds a board advisory role with Prime Capital Investment Advisors. A 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, he previously served as President of Fi360 and a Senior Executive at Morningstar. His new role with Income America is a really interesting one because it brings together several industry leaders to create a target date...

David Levine is a Principal at Groom Law Group and a well-known voice in the industry on fiduciary and retirement issues. Co-chair of the firm’s employer focus practice, David advises plan sponsors, advisors, and other service providers on a wide range of employee benefits matters.  Today he joins the show to discuss how the election results and control of Congress by the Democrats may impact the...

JD Carlson is the owner of Plan Design Consultants, a third-party administrator that was started by his father and has been in business for nearly 50 years. JD is also the host of the popular web show, Retireholi(k)s, a series of laid-back videos on 401(k) retirement plan industry topics. Today he joins the show to discuss the critical role of a third-party administrator (TPA) and how his firm str...

Katherine Roy is the Chief Retirement Strategist at J.P. Morgan and has focused on the retirement income-related landscape for more than 15 years. A top speaker at major industry and firm-specific conferences, Katherine's focus is on delivering timely retirement-related insights to financial advisors to help them successfully partner with clients to meet their unique retirement needs. In this epis...