2018 PLANSPONSOR National Conference Coverage

The 2018 PLANSPONSOR National Conference covered current trends and best practices for defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) retirement plans, while discussing what lies ahead in retirement plan design, participant engagement and education, and investment options and solutions, as well as, of course, legislative and regulatory updates. In addition, plan sponsor peers discussed practical, creative solutions for retirement plans and participants. Below is our team coverage of conference discussions.

If you missed the conference or want to learn more, consider attending one of our Best of PSNC 2018 events in Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco, or Houston in November.


Spending in Retirement and Financial Shocks – Fact and Fiction

EBRI’s Lori Lucas tells PLANSPONSOR National Conference attendees that retirees actually spend less than the industry suggests employees save for retirement, and there are different reasons for that.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-spending-retirement-financial-shocks-fact-fiction/

Washington Update

Plan sponsors can anticipate additional guidance and legislation on a number of retirement plan issues.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-washington-update/

Retirement Security at an Inflection Point, Part 2

The trust and expectation that employees place in their employers to help them prepare effectively for retirement is stronger than ever, and this is both a burden and an opportunity for DC plan sponsors.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-retirement-security-inflection-point-part-2/

Fiduciary Services and Support

Understanding the opportunities associated with 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary services—and the key differences between them—can help ensure the best use of the retirement plan committee’s time and resources.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-fiduciary-services-support/

Selecting the Optimal QDIA

How Hearst Corp. followed a prudent process to choose its qualified default investment alternative.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-selecting-optimal-qdia/

Retirement Industry Leaders Discuss Top Trends

Drew Carrington and Michael Knowling review the 8 most talked about retirement industry topics.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-retirement-industry-leaders-discuss-top-trends/

Rules, Regulations and Other Factors Affecting DB Funding Strategies

A partner at Ivins, Phillips & Barker discusses why defined benefit plan sponsors should consider accelerating their funding—and how to do so.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-rules-regulations-factors-affecting-db-funding-strategies/

Helping Participants Maximize Their Savings Opportunities

Addressing employees’ financial issues can help them free up cash to save for retirement, including long-term health care costs.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-helping-participants-maximize-savings-opportunities/

The Importance of Educating Investment Committees

Two retirement industry professionals reviewed best practices for investment committee members.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-importance-educating-investment-committees/

Planning for Post-Employment

Retirement plan sponsors have a fiduciary duty to help plan participants who terminate or retire and provide them the tools they need to best protect their assets.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-planning-post-employment/

Understanding Asset Allocation Vehicles

Panelists discussed recent trends with asset allocation vehicles, and how plan sponsors can help participants comprehend what it all means.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-understanding-asset-allocation-vehicles/

A Shift in Educating Participants—What Is Financial Wellness?

Is it more than education? Is it a full-blown program or something spontaneous and ad hoc? How frequently is it delivered, and how is it benchmarked? Who delivers it, and when?  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-shift-educating-participants-financial-wellness/

Best Practices to Protect Yourself and Your Company from Fiduciary Liability Lawsuits

Having prudent processes in place when making plan decisions is of utmost importance, and if a plan sponsor gets sued, having fiduciary liability insurance can be a big help.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-best-practices-protect-company-fiduciary-liability-lawsuits/

Health Meets Wealth

One important purpose of offering more holistic benefits and education that link health and wealth concerns for employees is that it “prevents the 401(k) plan from being treated like a checkbook.”  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-health-meets-wealth/

Pension Risk Transfer Options

DB plan sponsors want to keep control of their plans as they de-risk.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-pension-risk-transfer-options/

Developments in Participant Advice

From the recent fiduciary rule hold to modern, advanced technology, panelists examine how participant advice has widely grown in the past years.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-developments-participant-advice/

Investment Lineup Construction and Design

There are a number of investment vehicles to consider when drafting a plan menu that best suits the plan’s participants.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-investment-lineup-construction-design/

Fee Considerations

Fee-levelization and zero revenue sharing are the newest trends for retirement plan fees.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-fee-considerations/

Making Sense of Big Data

Retirement plan sponsors have access to a plethora of data that can help them in making plan design and participant education decisions.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-making-sense-big-data/

The Flavors of Reenrollment

Results outweigh the retirement plan sponsor costs.  https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2018-flavors-reenrollment/

Small Plans, Big Results

Creative and cost-efficient strategies to motive employees at small companies to engage in their retirement plan.  https://www.plansponsor.com/2018-psnc-small-plans-big-results/