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May 1st, 2024
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
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| ECONOMIC EVENTS |
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The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index deteriorated for the third consecutive month in April, retreating to 97.0 from a downwardly revised 103.1 in March. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—declined to 142.9 in April from a downwardly revised 146.8 in March. Meanwhile, the Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 66.4 from a slightly upwardly revised 74.0 last month. An Expectations Index reading below 80 often signals a forthcoming recession.
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| MARKET MIRROR |
Tuesday, the Dow fell 570.17 points (1.49%) to close at 37,815.92, the Nasdaq fell 325.26 points (2.04%) to close at 15,657.82 and the S&P 500 fell 80.48 points (1.57%) to close at 5,035.69. The Russell 2000 fell 42.12 points (2.09%) to close at 1,973.91, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index fell 840.02 points (1.63%) to close at 50,572.39.
The 10-year Treasury note rose 2/32, bringing the yield to 4.687%. The 30-year Treasury bond rose 2/32, bringing the yield to 4.786%.
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Administration
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Breaking Down ERISA Section 404(c) to the Basics
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This provision is designed to protect plan fiduciaries from participants’ poor investment choices, but the plan sponsor is still responsible for providing a range of investment options, among other requirements. 
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ON THIS DATE: In 1889, May Day—traditionally a celebration of the return of spring, marked by dancing around a Maypole—was first observed as a labor holiday, designated as such by the International Socialist Congress. In 1961, the first major airplane hijacking within the U.S. occurred when a man forced a commercial airliner en route from Miami to Key West, Florida, to detour to Cuba. In 1971, Amtrak—the federal supported corporation that operates nearly all intercity passenger trains in the U.S.—began service. In 1991, baseball player Rickey Henderson stole the 939th base of his career, surpassing Lou Brock’s MLB record. In 1999, the body of British mountaineer George Mallory was discovered on Mount Everest, some 75 years after he and Andrew Irvine disappeared while attempting to become the first people to summit the peak. In 2004, the European Union was enlarged to include the new member states of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
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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: Principal | May 6, 2025 | | Trump’s first 100 days: What could be next for retirement policy | | What could the first 100 days of a second Trump administration mean for retirement security? Hear from our experienced policy team as they analyze key tax and regulatory changes that could shape the future of retirement planning.
We’ll cover:
The push to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and its funding challenges
The potential impact on retirement tax incentives
Executive orders and regulatory updates under SECURE 2.0
Stay informed and gain insights to navigate the evolving retirement landscape. |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Corebridge | February 25, 2025 | | Impacts on retirement planning: Taking action on the latest changes to Medicare and Social Security | | With the recent changes in nearly every part of retirement, it can be challenging for employers—and their employees—to keep up. We seem to be in a particularly active time with new laws coming on the books, existing law sections rolling out, and changes from every corner.
In this webinar, you will get the latest information and updates to Social Security and Medicare. There is a swirl of activity in both programs, causing more concern than ever about the viability of Social Security. Plus new, hidden costs in Medicare drug plans have taken folks by surprise.
You’ll also see how these changes impact employees as they adjust their plans for retirement. Planning with high costs of goods and services along with complex law changes puts added pressure on employees’ ability to save sufficiently for retirement. |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Lincoln Financial Group | February 4, 2025 | | Benefits at Work: How Financial Wellness Fuels Productivity | | Today’s employees seek meaningful benefits that address their holistic health and financial well-being. To meet their expectations, 80% of employers surveyed agree that a well-rounded, competitive benefits offering is critical, according to our 2024 Small Business Owner survey. More than ever, small businesses need to invest in programs that strengthen employee productivity, loyalty, and morale.
By joining this complimentary webcast, you’ll learn how to:
• Engage today's workforce, including the changing values of millennials and Gen Z, lingering financial concerns, and the key factors driving talent attraction and retention
• Gain a competitive edge for employees with comprehensive benefits, including voluntary employee benefits coverage, retirement savings plans, and financial wellness solutions
• Provide benefits education and wellness programs to help employees take full advantage of their benefits
• Deliver a holistic employee experience with simple plan administration by using a single-source benefits provider |
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|  | | SPONSORED BY: Edelman | December 17, 2024 | | Managed Accounts as QDIA: Which Approach Works Best for Your Participants? | | Plan sponsors have multiple tools at their disposal to help deliver the right solution at the right time for their participants while maintaining their fiduciary responsibilities. Many plan sponsors have adopted managed accounts as a QDIA, whether for targeted segments of their participant population or as a broader approach. As the #1 DC managed account provider since 2008 (per Cerulli Associates), Edelman Financial Engines is excited to host this webinar and discussion.
This webinar will cover:
Different ways that plan sponsors use managed accounts as a default investment option, and the impact on participants, addressing legal and regulatory concerns with different default structures, how managed accounts and target date funds fit together in a Dual QDIA structure and insights from a leading plan sponsor that uses managed accounts as a default to understand their decision-making process and how the solution improves participant outcomes. |
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|  | | December 12, 2024 | | Plan Benchmarking | | How do plan sponsors determine the right goals for their plans or measure plan success? What tools are available to benchmark retirement plans? What should plans be measuring and how often? What kinds of actions or improvements can measurements drive? These questions and more will be answered in PLANSPONSOR’s final editorial webinar of 2024. |
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