Products & Services Launches

NEPC Unveils Stratum One Pooled Employer Plan

Investment consultancy NEPC launched Stratum One, a pooled employer plan aimed at simplifying retirement plan management for employers and advisers. NEPC will serve as the pooled plan provider and investment fiduciary, Empower will handle recordkeeping and technology, and NPPG will provide administrative fiduciary services.

“Retirement plans have become increasingly complex, and Stratum One was designed to address these challenges with an integrated, end-to-end solution,” said Mikaylee O’Connor, NEPC’s defined contribution team leader, in a statement.

The new plan will be available to employers starting May 1.

The Standard and OneDigital Expand Secure Future PEP

The Standard Insurance Company and OneDigital together are expanding OneDigital’s Secure Future Pooled Employer Plan.

The Secure Future PEP launched in 2021 as a regional offering and became a national offering for advisory teams in 2025. Since then, the Secure Future PEP has aggregated $600 million in total assets.

For employers, the Secure Future PEP simplifies administration, strengthens fiduciary oversight and reduces operational burden, while it also enables advisers to efficiently support clients through streamlined onboarding, clear governance and a structure built to deliver consistent service at scale.

Frank Zugaro, national vice president of retirement solutions at OneDigital, said in a statement: “As adoption continues nationwide, we see PEPs becoming a core component of how employers approach retirement strategy.”

Lincoln Financial Launches New Annuity Solutions

Lincoln Financial introduced two new fixed-indexed annuities: Lincoln FlexAdvantage Income and Lincoln OptiBlend Income. The annuities offer guaranteed lifetime income, protected growth and a category-first legacy planning feature. The new FIAs provide 100% downside protection and access to unique growth opportunities through a range of S&P 500 indexed account options, including exclusive access to the Capital Group Dividend Value ETF participation account and the Nasdaq Priva participation account.

A standout feature is the optional Estate Lock death benefit, enabling consumers to secure their initial payment amount for beneficiaries, even after income withdrawals.

Empower to Support Trump Account Rollovers

Empower plans to serve as a rollover custodian for Trump Accounts following the release of final regulations.

Trump Accounts, also known as 530A accounts, were created by 2025 tax law and are scheduled to launch in July 2026. The accounts are tax-advantaged vehicles for children designed to promote early participation in long-term saving and investing. Parents can set up the accounts for eligible children as soon as they have a Social Security number.

The accounts are intended to remain almost entirely untouched until the beneficiary reaches age 18. The money can then be withdrawn for a few specific purposes: educational expenses, home purchases and starting a business. Following the accounts’ “growth period,” they will operate under the same rules as a traditional IRA and likely become a retirement savings vehicle.

“Trump Accounts represent one of the most significant expansions of early-life financial access in a generation and can allow millions more Americans to benefit from investing,” Empower President and CEO Edmund F. Murphy III said in a statement. “This new standard for financial inclusion has the potential to produce a financially engaged cohort of young adults.”