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February 1st, 2023
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
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| ECONOMIC EVENTS |
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The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index decreased in January after a revised increase in December 2022. The index now stands at 107.1, down from 109.0 in December. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions —increased to 150.9 from 147.4 last month. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 77.8 from 83.4 partially reversing its December gain. The Expectations Index is below 80 which often signals a recession within the next year. Both present situation and expectations indexes were revised up slightly in December.
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| MARKET MIRROR |
Tuesday, the Dow increased 368.95 points (1.09%) to close at 34,086.04, the Nasdaq increased 190.74 points (1.67%) to close at 11,584.55 and the S&P 500 increased 58.83 points (1.46%) to close at 4,076.60. The Russell 2000 gained 46.22 points (2.45%) to close at 1,931.94 and the Wilshire 5000 increased 640.30 points (1.60%) to close at 40,724.96.
The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 24/32, bringing the yield to 3.512%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond increased 3/32, bringing the yield to 3.636%.
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SURVEYS
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CIO’s Transition Management Survey
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Are you a provider of transition management services and want to make your services known to institutional investors? If so, you are invited to respond to CIO’s Transition Management Survey. 
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ON THIS DATE: In 1790, the first session of the Supreme Court of the United States was held, in New York City. In 1884, the first of 10 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary were published in London, the final volume being published in 1928. In 1930, Ruth Ross, a magazine editor, who helped found the inaugural issue of Essence, which included articles of leading African American scholars and writers, was born. In 1965, actress Ruby Dee became the first African American actress to play a major role in the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut. In 1978, the first postage stamp to honor an African American woman, Harriet Tubman, was issued in Washington, D.C. In 2003, while returning to Earth from an orbital mission, the U.S. space shuttle Columbia broke up at an altitude of about 40 miles over Texas, killing all seven crew members. In 2004, at the Super Bowl Halftime show, pop singer Janet Jackson experienced a “wardrobe malfunction” when part of her bustier was ripped off by Justin Timberlake; some argued it was accidental while others said premeditated. In 2009 Icelandic politician Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was sworn in as the country’s prime minister, becoming the first woman to hold that post in Iceland and the world’s first openly gay head of government. In 2021, the military seized power in Myanmar, ousting the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
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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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