Breakfast and Registration

Plan Sponsor Meet-Up
With structured conversations and activities, this is a great time to network with peers prior to the start of the conference, as well as prior to the Plan Sponsor Idea Exchanges on the last morning. Find those who sponsor plans of the same type and size as yours. Share what challenges you face, accomplishments you’ve made, and the kind of benefits you hope to gain from the conference. If you travelled solo to the conference, find some lunch buddies!

Opening Remarks

State of the Retirement Plan Industry
Representatives from the retirement plan ecosystem talk about developments across the industry—changes, challenges, opportunities and possible predictions for the future.

Litigation Report
Hear from experts about the trends in legal actions affecting retirement plan sponsors and advisers; learn what the decisions mean for sponsors—and what new targets plaintiffs’ attorneys might have. Find out how to protect yourself.

Break

Washington Update
Our annual deep dive into the latest retirement-plan-related legislation and regulations, offering practical lessons and insights for plan sponsors.

Sponsored — Mainstage

Lunch

Immersive Workshop 1: Employee Financial Wellness

Immersive Workshop 2: The Role of Health Benefits

(See separate workshop tabs above for the agendas.)

Cocktail Reception

Excellence in Retirement Awards

Opening Remarks

Participants Need the Money Now
Rising debt, housing costs and educational expenses are making it harder for many employees to save for retirement. This session will discuss how evolving legislation is expanding the role of retirement plans and how sponsors can align plan design with the unique needs and goals of their workforce.

From Benefits to Behavior: What Drives Employee Financial Well-Being?
Employers are investing in emergency savings programs, student loan assistance, financial coaching and educational resources as well as retirement plans. Yet many employees remain financially stressed and overwhelmed. What separates programs that generate real outcomes from those that see little engagement? Explore how plan sponsors can identify workforce needs, personalize communications, measure success and create a culture that supports better financial decisions.

Break

Financial Wellness Show and Tell
Plan sponsors and others demonstrate strategies they’ve used successfully to help employees with financial wellness needs.

Cocktail Reception

Excellence in Retirement Awards

Opening Remarks

Health Benefits and Fiduciary Duties
Learn how to apply fiduciary processes and transparency to healthcare programs, as you have for your retirement plan.

Healthcare Costs in Retirement
Panelists will discuss employees’ savings needs for medical and related expenses in retirement, including what Medicare covers, and how plan sponsors can educate participants.

Break

FSAs, HRAs, ICHRAs and HSAs
Get familiar with the alphabet soup of health accounts for employees. Learn the rules for flex spending accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements and health savings accounts and how to determine the most appropriate offerings for your workforce.

Cocktail Reception

Excellence in Retirement Awards

Breakfast

Opening Remarks

From Plan Administrator to Strategic Leader
With interactive exercises, learn how to influence decisionmakers, communicate complex ideas with confidence, build support for plan initiatives, and strengthen your role as a strategic partner within your organization.

Sponsored — Mainstage

Break

BREAKOUT

Is There a Better Way? Options for Plan Design
As employers seek new ways to attract talent, improve retirement outcomes and manage fiduciary duties, interest is growing in alternatives to traditional defined contribution plans. This session will examine emerging plan structures, such as pooled employer plans, and reviving interest in cash balance plans—including the potential benefits and drawbacks of each type, when they make sense and what organizations should evaluate before making a change.

BREAKOUT

Real Talk About Retirement Income
Let’s have the conversation that’s often overshadowed by product pitches. This interactive session will explore whether retirement income solutions are truly needed in DC plans, which approaches show promise, where existing options fall short and what sponsors should consider before moving forward.

BREAKOUT

DB Plan Playbook
Learn how sponsors of defined benefit plans can enhance plan maintenance. What does the goal for the plan, within the context of current political and market developments, indicate for investment strategies? What can plans do with surplus funding?

BREAKOUT

TBD

BREAKOUT

Participant Personalization
Learn how personalization can be implemented in advice and investments and how it can improve participant outcomes.

BREAKOUT

VCP and Audit Walkthrough
An expert will go through the steps for the IRS Voluntary Correction Program and a Department of Labor audit. Hear too from a plan sponsor who experienced one of these audits.

Sponsored workshops

Lunch

BREAKOUT

TBD

BREAKOUT

Annuity Basics
Guaranteed income, fixed annuities, deferred annuities, in-plan options. What does it all mean? This session will provide a practical introduction to annuities, helping plan sponsors understand the terminology, evaluate key product features and learn to communicate retirement income concepts to participants with confidence.

BREAKOUT

Provider Due Diligence/RFPs
The standards for conducting due diligence on providers are changing as participant needs and retirement plan goals expand. Selection and monitoring criteria now extend beyond fees and investment options. This session will examine the latest provider due diligence methods, effective request for proposal practices and key considerations when acquiring an adviser or recordkeeper.

Sponsored workshops

Break

BREAKOUT

Practical Lessons From Plan Sponsors
Award-winning plan sponsors share ways they’ve improved their plans and challenges they’ve overcome.

BREAKOUT

Benchmarking Investments and Fees
Experts will explain what factors to look at when benchmarking investments, as well as what benchmarks to use to ensure your choices are prudent and fees are reasonable.

BREAKOUT

Different Plans, Different Challenges
While corporate 401(k) plans tend to dominate industry conversations, sponsors of 403(b)s, 457s, multiple employer and multiemployer plans each encounter their own distinct challenges and opportunities. After a discussion of key trends and administrative considerations across plan types, this interactive session will focus on attendees’ questions, giving sponsors the chance to hear expert perspectives on the issues that matter most to them.

Retirement Plan Trivia

Game night
Come engage with exhibitors

Breakfast

Plan Sponsor Idea Exchanges
Meet with peer plan sponsors to share experiences and insights—learn from and assist others.

Opening Remarks

Your questions answered
Questions attendees submitted upon registration, and others, will be answered by a group of experts.

Break

Beyond the Retirement Plan
You’ve provided a savings vehicle, but what more does it take to get employees truly prepared for retirement? How can you help them prepare for a new routine without full-time work and find a new purpose? Panelists will discuss phased retirement programs along with other mental and tangible means for easing the transition, plus education about Social Security and Medicare.

Participant Perspectives
Hear key findings from the 2026 PLANSPONSOR Participant Survey to possibly inspire new plan design decisions, ways to engage employees, and communication efforts.

To-Go Lunch