|
November 1st, 2023
Insight on Plan Design & Investment Strategy Every Weekday
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ECONOMIC EVENTS |
|
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined moderately in October to 102.6, down from an upwardly revised 104.3 in September. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—declined to 143.1 from 146.2. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell slightly to 75.6 in October, after declining to 76.4 in September. The Expectations index is still below 80—the level that historically signals a recession within the next year. Consumer fears of an impending recession remain elevated, consistent with the short and shallow economic contraction we anticipate for the first half of 2024.
|
|
|
|
| MARKET MIRROR |
|
Tuesday, the Dow rose 123.91 points (0.38%) to close at 33,052.87, the Nasdaq rose 61.76 points (0.48%) to close at 12,851.24 and the S&P 500 rose 28.98 points (0.65%) to close at 4,193.80. The Russell 2000 gained 14.99 points (0.91%) to close at 1,662.28, and the FT Wilshire 5000 Index gained 286.44 points (0.69%) to close at 42,059.95.The 10-year Treasury note decreased 24/32, bringing the yield to 4.934%. The 30-year Treasury bond decreased 6/32, bringing the yield to 5.097%.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EVENTS
|
|
Navigating ESG
|
What is the current status of ESG investing for asset owners, plan sponsors and plan advisers? Who are the experts and where can investors go for information? What questions should investors ask as part of their due diligence? These questions and more will be discussed at the 2023 Navigating ESG Livestream event on November 8. 
|
|
|
|
|
ON THIS DATE: In 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists, members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman but were stopped by the Secret Service before entering Blair House, where Truman was residing due to White House renovations. In 1952, on an atoll of the Marshall Islands, Edward Teller and other American scientists tested the first thermonuclear bomb, also known as a hydrogen bomb, its power resulting from an uncontrolled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. In 1981, Antigua and Barbuda achieved independence from the United Kingdom, with Vere Bird serving as the first prime minister. In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty entered into force, establishing the European Union. In 1994, NASA launched its Wind spacecraft on a mission that would include a “halo orbit” between the Sun and the Earth to explore the space environment there. In 1997, James Cameron’s “Titanic” had its first public screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival; the movie would become one of the highest grossing of all time, and it made Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet international stars. In 1999, professional football player Walter Payton, one of the game’s greatest running backs, died from bile duct cancer. In 2006, novelist William Stryon—known for his treatment of tragic themes and his rich classical prose style, highlighted in such works as “Sophie’s Choice”—died at age 81.
|
|
|
| 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. |
|
|
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get NEWSDash directly in
your mailbox!
|
|
Copyright ©2025 Asset International, Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction without prior authorization.
|
|
702 King Farm Boulevard, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20850
|
|
|
|
