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January 24th, 2024
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
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| MARKET MIRROR |
Tuesday, the Dow fell 96.36 points (0.25%) to close at 37,905.45, the Nasdaq rose 65.66 points (0.43%) to close at 15,425.94 and the S&P 500 rose 14.17 points (0.29%) to close at 4,864.60. The Russell 2000 fell 7.11 points (0.36%) to close at 1,976.27, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index rose 105.45 points (0.22%) to close at 49,024.23.
The 10-year Treasury note fell 24/32, bringing the yield to 4.138%. The 30-year Treasury bond fell 30/32, bringing the yield to 4.367%
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ON THIS DATE: In 1848, carpenter James Wilson Marshall found nuggets of gold in California’s American River near the site of a sawmill he was building for John Sutter, ushering in a gold rush. In 1941, the film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” premiered; the soliloquy by character Tom Joad on the poor, reflecting his empathy for their plight, remains one of the most famous scenes in film history. The same year, singer/songwriter Neil Diamond, who wrote pop songs for other musicians before launching a successful solo recording career, was born. In 1984, Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s revolutionary personal computer, Macintosh, two days after the groundbreaking commercial “1984” aired during SuperBowl XVIII and heralded the product’s impending release. In 1989, serial killer Ted Bundy—who confessed to murdering 30 women, though many believe the number to be much higher—was executed at age 42. In 1993, lawyer and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall, who was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, died at age 84. In 2003, Tom Ridge was sworn in as the inaugural secretary of the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security, created in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. In 2004, the six-wheeled robotic rover, Opportunity, landed on Mars and—like its twin rover, Spirit, which had landed on January 3—analyzed rocks and soils and relayed pictures back to Earth.
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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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