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December 6th, 2023
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
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| MARKET MIRROR |
Tuesday, the Dow fell 79.88 points (0.22%) to close at 36,124.56, the Nasdaq rose 44.42 points (0.31%) to close at 14,229.91 and the S&P 500 fell 2.60 points (0.06%) to close at 4,567.18. The Russell 2000 fell 25.98 points (1.38%) to close at 1,856.04, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index fell 95.98 points (0.21%) to close at 46,022.70.
The 10-year Treasury note rose 29/32, bringing the yield to 4.175%. The 30-year Treasury bond rose 2 0/32, bringing the yield to 4.296.
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ON THIS DATE: In 1907, an explosion in a coal mine in Monongah, West Virginia, killed more than 350 people, many of them young boys. In 1912, a bust of Nefertiti was discovered during excavations at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt; the sculpture later went on display in a Berlin museum, and it became a source of controversy as an alleged plundered artifact. In 1917, Finland declared itself independent of Russia, following the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1921, the British government and Irish leaders Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and others signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, establishing the Irish Free State as an independent member of the British Commonwealth. In 1933, In what was considered a landmark ruling, a U.S. federal judge held that James Joyce’s Ulysses was not obscene, thus allowing for greater freedoms in literary works. In 1961, Syracuse running back Ernie Davis becomes the first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy—college football’s top individual award. In 1973, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as vice president of the U.S., succeeding Spiro T. Agnew, who had resigned. In 1992, the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India was destroyed by Hindu fundamentalists, leading to Hindu-Muslim riots throughout the country. In 2006, NASA released images—taken by the Mars Global Surveyor—that indicated the relatively recent presence of water on Mars.
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| Industry Intel Roundup—Featured Webinars | | PLANSPONSOR is pleased to present the next edition of our Industry Intelligence roundup. This week, we are featuring webinars sponsored by experienced providers in the industry. The content was created to educate, inform and offer ideas for plan sponsors regarding plan design, investing, administration and compliance. |  | | SPONSORED BY: ACI | December 16, 2025 | | Retirement Realities – What Sponsors May Be Missing | | What do plan sponsors believe about retirement readiness, and how does that compare to what participants actually feel? During this webinar, Glenn Dial, Senior Retirement Strategist at American Century Investments, will unpack the findings from the firm’s 12th Annual Retirement Survey. He’ll explore where sponsor and participant perspectives align – and where they diverge – on key issues like savings confidence, market risk, and retirement income expectations. Glenn will also touch on the evolving role of target date funds (TDFs) and how guaranteed income is being viewed in today’s defined contribution landscape. This session is designed to help retirement professionals better understand the sentiment gaps and take action to close them.
What You’ll Learn:
Fresh insights from the 2025 Retirement Survey.
Key disconnects between plan sponsors and participants.
Perspectives on market risk, TDFs, and retirement income.
Strategic considerations for plan design and communication
Whether you're a plan sponsor, advisor, or industry stakeholder, this webinar will help you rethink how retirement plans can better serve the people they're built for. |
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|  | | January 28, 2026 | | Benchmarking Your Plan | | In this webinar, we’ll review findings from the annual PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey. Speakers will discuss ways to benchmark a DC plan to ensure it’s an important workforce attraction and retention tool. They will also address incorporating key plan design features that can improve employee retirement outcomes. |
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| | | August 18, 2026 | | DB Plan Administration | | Besides findings from PLANSPONSOR’s annual Defined Benefit Administration Survey, our panel will discuss trends in the defined benefit plan sector. Speakers will also talk about ongoing management of DB plans—whether closed, frozen or active—and benchmarking DB plan providers. With many corporate DB plans now overfunded, the panel will also discuss ways that sponsoring companies can use their plan’s surplus. |
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| | | November 18, 2026 | | Understanding Participant Behavior | | The PLANSPONSOR Participant Survey examines the attitudes and behaviors of American workers participating—or not—in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. We’ll explore findings about respondents’ participation and saving decisions, retirement expectations and most-valued benefits. Speakers will suggest what the findings mean for retirement plan design, benefit offerings and participant engagement. |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Alight | December 3, 2025 | | The Vital Role of HSAs—Beyond a Spending Account | | This webinar will explore the multifaceted value of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for both employers and employees, positioning them as more than just tools for healthcare spending. It highlights the unique triple tax advantage of HSAs which makes them a powerful and cost-effective benefit for organizations aiming to enhance employee financial wellness without increasing costs.
We will also emphasize immediate employee benefits such as tax savings, flexibility in covering a wide range of medical expenses, portability, and the absence of a “use it or lose it” rule.
Finally, we will address the importance of minimizing fees, as even small differences can significantly impact long-term savings. It encourages plan sponsors to evaluate HSA providers with the same rigor as 401(k) vendors and to focus on low-cost investment options. |
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