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January 29th, 2025
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
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| MARKET MIRROR |
Tuesday, the Dow rose 136.77 points (0.31%) to close at 44,850.35, the Nasdaq rose 391.75 points (2.03%) to close at 19,733.59 and the S&P 500 rose 55.42 points (0.92%) to close at 6,067.70. The Russell 2000 rose 4.84 points (0.21%) to close at 2,288.86, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index rose 527.90 points (0.87%) to close at 60,977.12.
The 10-year Treasury note was unchanged, bringing the yield to 4.537%. The 30-year Treasury bond decreased 1/32, bringing the yield to 4.779%.
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Awards
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MEPs and PEPs Eligible for Plan Sponsor of the Year
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PLANSPONSOR is opening its Plan Sponsor of the Year awards to closed MEPs and to PEPs. Only the pooled plan provider, or PPP, of a PEP can apply, and only the sponsoring entity of a closed MEP can apply. If we have enough entries, we will recognize these categories in the 2025 awards program.If you... 
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ON THIS DATE: In 1924, the first machine for rolling ice cream cones was patented by Carl Rutherford Taylor of Cleveland. In 1936, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were among the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. In 1954, television personality, actress and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. In 1966, Brazilian soccer player Romário, one of the most prolific goal scorers in the sport’s history, was born in Rio de Janeiro. In 2002, President George W. Bush, delivering a State of the Union address, described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an “axis of evil” for their attempts to develop nuclear, chemical or biological weaponry. In 2015, Australian novelist Colleen McCullough, best known for her sweeping romance “The Thorn Birds” and for the “Masters of Rome series,” died at age 77.
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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. |  | | January 28, 2026 | | Benchmarking Your Plan: Using Data to Stay Competitive | | In this webinar, you’ll discover how benchmarking can transform your retirement plan into a powerful tool for attracting and retaining talent. We’ll highlight key findings from the PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey and show how benchmarking drives smarter plan design decisions.
Hear real-world examples and advisor insights on improving plan competitiveness and employee outcomes. Find out why benchmarking matters, what to look for, and how to put these strategies into action. |
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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: 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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|  | | 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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