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February 5th, 2025
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
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| MARKET MIRROR |
Tuesday, the Dow rose 134.13 points (0.30%) to close at 44,556.04, the Nasdaq rose 262.06 points (1.35%) to close at 19,654.02 and the S&P 500 rose 43.31 points (0.72%) to close at 6,037.88. The Russell 2000 rose 31.79 points (1.41%) to close at 2,290.21, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index rose 446.55 points (0.74%) to close at 60,741.74.
The 10-year Treasury note increased 4/32, bringing the yield to 4.510%. The 30-year Treasury bond increased 29/32, bringing the yield to 4.749%.
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Ask the Experts
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Can 457(b) Plans Offer CITs?
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Experts from Groom Law Group and CAPTRUST answer questions concerning retirement plan administration and regulations. 
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ON THIS DATE: In 1917, Mexico adopted its present constitution. In 1943, middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, the “Bronx Bull,” handed Sugar Ray Robinson his first defeat. In 1985, Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Portugal. In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of killing civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963; Beckwith received a life sentence. In 2003, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared before the U.N. Security Council to present evidence that Iraq possessed proscribed weapons of mass destruction and posed an immediate danger. In 2017, in the first overtime game in Super Bowl history, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons. In 2020, after being impeached by the House of Representatives over his actions in the Ukraine scandal, President Donald Trump was acquitted in the Senate.
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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: Income America | November 12, 2025 | | Bridging the Retirement Income Gap – Insights & Action | | What will it take to deliver protected retirement income that truly meets the needs of both plan sponsors and participants? That’s the question our speakers – Glenn Dial, Senior Retirement Strategist at American Century Investments, and Matt Wolniewicz, President of Income America – will tackle head-on. Drawing from American Century’s 12th Annual Retirement Survey, they’ll unpack the latest sentiment data and reveal critical disconnects and opportunities in retirement readiness. From behavioral insights to implementation strategies, Glenn and Matt will guide attendees through the practical realities of guaranteed income, equipping retirement professionals with the tools to better align plan design with participant needs.
What You’ll Learn:
Key takeaways from the 2025 Retirement Survey, including sentiment trends and priority gaps.
The mechanics of guaranteed income and how it fits into modern defined contribution plans.
Actionable strategies for sponsors to enhance retirement outcomes.
Whether you’re a plan sponsor, advisor, or industry stakeholder, this session can help you navigate the next chapter in protected retirement income. |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Fidelity | October 9, 2025 | | From Burden to Benefit: How Student Debt Benefits Support Retirement Readiness | | Student debt is placing growing financial pressure on employees—and it’s directly impacting their ability to save for retirement. With the federal payment pause now over and broad forgiveness off the table, this stress is intensifying and showing up in the workplace. The time to act is now. Backed by Fidelity research, this session will explore how innovative student debt benefits can reduce stress, improve retirement readiness, and strengthen employee retention and productivity. Join us to learn why student debt benefits are more than a workplace perk—they’re a strategic investment in your people and your organization’s future. |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Corebridge | September 9, 2025 | | Maintaining Retirement Plan Momentum | | Maintaining momentum for a successful future retirement seems to be more challenging than ever. Employees are looking to their plan sponsors for more support and direction to do a better job investing for their future. In this special financial wellness webinar sponsored by Corebridge Financial, you’ll get practical ideas and suggestions for:
Maintaining and strengthening plan health in light of current Social Security and Medicare changes
Working closely with your plan provider to develop robust and consistent education and communication outreach plans
Providing improved action items for your employees to maintain and build their financial wellness |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Candidly | August 13, 2025 | | Future-Proofing Retirement: How Pearson Used Data to Bridge Student Debt and 401(k) Gaps | | HR and benefits leaders are facing increased pressure to align their retirement offerings with the wants and needs of the modern workforce. For employers like Pearson, accomplishing this required confronting the disconnect between student loan obligations and retirement readiness — and turning to data to make an informed decision. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look into how Pearson analyzed its own workforce data and industry financial wellness benchmarks to implement a strategic, SECURE Act 2.0-friendly student loan retirement match benefit.
You’ll hear directly from Pearson’s HR team about the data insights that drove their decision, how they made the business case for innovation, and how this new offering has impacted employee engagement. In this session, you’ll learn:
• Why traditional retirement benefits fall short across all employee cohorts in the modern workplace
• How Pearson used data to identify student debt as a leading barrier to retirement plan adoption and utilization
• Pearson’s journey to implement a student loan retirement match offering in compliance with the SECURE Act 2.0
• Key strategies to enable plan sponsors to modernize their benefits in 2025 and beyond |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Principal | June 24, 2025 | | Pension Risk: Strategies to Help Manage Market Volatility | | In recent years, many defined benefit plan sponsors have maintained significant allocations to equity investments, experiencing asset growth. Now, as market volatility threatens funding ratio gains, it’s important to consider strategies to help lock in DB plan funding gains and reduce investment risk.
Get perspective and insights from defined benefit leaders as they discuss:
What to consider when implementing or adjusting a liability-driven investing (LDI) strategy
When pension risk transfer (PRT) may be an option
How consolidating services with one provider could help improve risk alignment
In a challenging time for pension plan management, you can prepare to de-risk when the timing is right. |
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