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PLANSPONSOR NEWSDASH LOGO May 15th, 2024
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
Investing
Record US Corporate Pension Funding Levels Largely Held Up in April
Record US Corporate Pension Funding Levels Largely Held Up in April
Drop in asset values was partly offset by another uptick in discount rates.
Compliance
ERISA Advisory Council to Study QDIAs and Health Insurance Appeals Processes
The council will report on their findings to EBSA.
Most Read
Compliance
SEC Pulls Plug on 14 Biden-Era Proposals, Citing Strategic Shift
Opinions
Cracking Open the Annuity Dilemma
Compliance
National Rural Electric Cooperative Hit With ERISA Complaint; UnitedHealth Finalizes $69M Settlement
ECONOMIC EVENTS
The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.5% in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The index for final demand services increased 0.6%, and the index for final demand goods moved up 0.4%. The index for final demand advanced 2.2% for the 12 months ended in April. 
MARKET MIRROR
Tuesday, the Dow rose 126.60 points (0.32%) to close at 39,558.11, the Nasdaq rose 122.94 points (0.75%) to close at 16,511.18 and the S&P 500 rose 25.26 points (0.48%) to close at 5,246.68. The Russell 2000 rose 23.57 points (1.14%) to close at 2,084.69, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index rose 292.64 points (0.56%) to close at 52,750.75. 

The 10-year Treasury note increased 4/32, bringing the yield to 4.449%. The 30-year Treasury bond increased 29/32, bringing the yield to 4.593%.  
Benefits
Industry Experts Reimagine How ‘Retirement Savings Can Build Wealth for Everybody’
In a webinar hosted by the Aspen Institute, retirement industry leaders discuss how the current defined contribution system fails to help disadvantaged workers save for retirement.
Ask the Experts
Does Our Small Plan Require a Fidelity Bond?
Experts from Groom Law Group and CAPTRUST answer questions concerning retirement plan administration and regulations.
SMALL TALK
ON THIS DATE: In 1859, physical chemist Pierre Curie, cowinner with his wife, Marie Curie of the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics, was born in Paris. In 1885, Louis Riel surrendered after leading two rebellions against the Canadian government in response to its efforts to assume the territorial rights of the Hudson’s Bay Company in northwestern Canada. In 1886, poet Emily Dickinson died in Amherst, Massachusetts at age 55. In 1914, mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, who, with Sir Edmund Hillary, was the first person to stand atop the summit of Mount Everest, was born in Tshechu, Tibet. In 1918, the first regular airmail route in the U.S. opened, between New York City and Washington, D.C. In 1928, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse made his debut with the premiere of the cartoon Plane Crazy. In 1940, in San Bernadino, California, brothers Maurice (“Mac”) and Richard McDonald opened a drive-in restaurant that gave rise to the fast-food chain McDonald’s.  The same year, nylon stockings first went on sale to the general public, and U.S. stores sold out in days. In 1969, lawyer and judge Abe Fortas became the first Supreme Court justice to resign under threat of impeachment. In 1972, while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Alabama Gov. George Wallace was wounded and left permanently paralyzed below the waist in an assassination attempt. In 1991, Edith Cresson of the Socialist Party became the first female premier of France, but she lost the office less than a year later because of rising unemployment and declining support from within her party. In 2003, singer and songwriter June Carter Cash died in Nashville at age 73. 
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 | 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.
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. PLANSPONSOR is not an affiliate of any company of the Principal Financial Group®. Insurance products and plan administrative services provided through Principal Life Insurance Company®. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC, and/or independent broker-dealers. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, Iowa 50392. Principal®, Principal Financial Group®, and Principal and the logomark design are registered trademarks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a Principal Financial Group company, in the United States, and are trademarks and service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., in various countries around the world. © 2025 Principal Financial Services, Inc., 711 High Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50392 PQ14034 | 4388076-042025 | 04/2025
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.
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
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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