In a special edition of Revamping Retirement, Jennifer Doss hosts live from the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) 401(k) Summit in Las Vegas, alongside Phyllis Klein, senior director of Retirement Plan Services at CAPTRUST. Joining our hosts are two of the industry’s most prominent ERISA attorneys: Fred Reish, partner in the Benefits & Executive Compensation practice group, the Investment Management group, and the Financial Services ERISA Team at Faegre Drinker; and David Levine, principal and co-chair of the Plan Sponsor Practice at Groom Law Group. Following our panel’s robust conversation around current plan sponsor concerns, the latest areas of industry focus, and key takeaways from the NAPA conference, Mike Webb shares his take on the most common retirement plan loan taxation misconceptions in Minute with Mike.

Revamping Retirement

Inside the Industry

In episode 31 of Revamping Retirement, Jennifer Doss and Scott Matheson talk with Greg Middleton, Senior Director of Business Development and Sales Enablement at CAPTRUST, to discuss his recent webinar on advisor requests for proposals (RFPs). Middleton provides unique industry perspective on why challenging times often drive plan sponsors to assess providers and their services and the ways RFPs can help plan sponsors understand recent market trends, cybersecurity, selection process, and more. In Minute with Mike, Mike Webb shares what plan sponsors need to know about health savings accounts (HSAs) and how they can help support successful retirement outcomes.

The Impact of COVID, Current Trends, and Culture on Advisor Requests for Proposals (RFPs)

In episode 30 of Revamping Retirement, Jennifer Doss and Scott Matheson circle back on her predictions for 2021 and discuss where the retirement industry sits at the halfway mark of this year. Find out how plan sponsors are reacting to the increased interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing and regulatory ambiguity, what the industry expects for the SECURE Act 2.0, the benefits and pitfalls of technology, and more. Later, CAPTRUST Chief Investment Officer Mike Vogelzang chimes in to regroup on the uniqueness of this past year’s market environment and provide his team’s latest thoughts on the markets and economy, including interest rates, inflation, and taxes. In Minute with Mike, Mike Webb shares what plan sponsors need to know about required minimum distributions (RMDs) and why they can be such a pain point for plan participants and plan sponsors alike.

Episode 30: A Mid-Year Check-In for Retirement Plan Sponsors

In episode 29 of Revamping Retirement, Jennifer Doss and Scott Matheson are joined by Jenny Eller, Principal at Groom Law Group and co-head of the firm’s Retirement Services and Fiduciary Practice. Jenny shares her perspective on plan sponsor considerations for selecting a non-discretionary or discretionary advisor, the reasons behind the trend towards 3(38) discretionary services, and how outsourcing investment responsibilities can impact—or even mitigate—risk in this litigious environment. In Minute with Mike, Mike Webb shares what plan sponsors need to know about pooled annuities. Later, Jon Meyer, CAPTRUST’s Chief Technology Officer, provides some actionable steps that retirement plan sponsors can take to protect themselves and their participants from cybersecurity threats.

Episode 29: The Discretion Decision: 3(21) Versus 3(38), What to Know about Annuities, and Cybersecurity in Retirement Plans

In episode 28 of Revamping Retirement, Mike Webb passes the hosting torch to Jennifer Doss and Scott Matheson, who lead the employer-sponsored retirement plan practice at CAPTRUST. The two discuss CAPTRUST’s recent fee benchmarking webinar, including the future of fees, structuring fees to make retirement plans more attractive, and what tops the list of fee-related concern for plan sponsors. Later, Mike Webb shares what plan sponsors need to know about pooled employer plans, or PEPs, in Minute with Mike. To close out the episode, Doss and Matheson are joined by lead investment strategist Sam Kirby to recap the markets, discuss what’s on the minds of plan sponsors, and talk about the retirement tools that can hedge against inflation risk.

Episode 28: Fee Benchmarking Trends, What to Know about PEPs, and a Recap on the Market

In episode 27 of Revamping Retirement, Mike Webb is joined by Nevin Adams, chief content officer of the American Retirement Association (ARA). In addition to curating content, Adams serves as a prolific author of ARA’s publications. Adams has gained notoriety for correcting many of the common retirement misconceptions perpetuated by the media—an area of increasing concern as social media recirculation ramps up. Tune in to hear more about retirement myths and other key issues, such as coverage availability, state run auto IRAs, and automatic enrollment.

Episode 27: Debunking Retirement Myths with Nevin Adams

In episode 26 of Revamping Retirement, Mike Webb chats with Jennifer Norr, President of Women in Pensions Network (WiPN), to discuss the organization’s mission, the impact of COVID on women in the workplace, and what WiPN’s recent research findings identify as the key areas for improvement to ensure the retirement industry is more reflective of the general population.

Episode 26: Women in Pensions Network (WiPN)

In episode 25, Mike Webb chats with, Bob Toth, author of the popular Business of Benefits blog and founder of Toth Law and Applied Pension Professionals. With more than 35 years of experience practicing employee benefits law, Bob Toth is an expert to the experts - particularly in the areas of 403(b) plans and annuity products. Mike and Bob discuss the key to moving the needle on annuities, including how to effectively communicate the benefits of these products, the importance of pricing opaqueness, and how the SECURE act provision allowing portability may help address participant concerns. Bob also shares some of the new products being developed in the marketplace and explains why beer is essential to solving the annuity puzzle.

Episode 25: The Business of Benefits with Bob Toth

In episode 24, Mike Webb chats with David Levine, Principal at Groom Law Group, and Rebecca Moore, Managing Editor of PLANSPONSOR Digital, to discuss the popular and long-running PLANSPONSOR Ask the Expert column. With more than a decade worth of plan sponsors questions answered by industry experts, the column continues to be one of the most popular features on PLANSPONSOR's website. Mike, David and Rebecca share the history of the column, contributing factors to its success, and tips on how plan sponsors can have their questions featured. To submit a question to the column, email Rebecca at Rebecca.Moore@issgovernance.com.

Episode 24: The Experts Behind the Column - PLANSPONSOR's Ask the Experts

In episode 23, Mike Webb chats with Christine Roberts, a prominent ERISA attorney and author of the popular E is for ERISA blog. Christine shares the backstory of her blog, the "DB-ification" trend in defined contribution retirement (DC) plans and the movement toward more employer-control versus employee discretion of DC plans to better provide a sustainable source of income during retirement, and the one provision she would change with a magic retirement wand.

Episode 23: E is for ERISA with Christine Roberts

In episode 22, Mike Webb chats with Mary Beth Franklin, contributing editor to InvestmentNews and a nationally recognized expert on Social Security claiming strategies. Sharing the current funding concerns and potential future reforms for social security, Mary Beth provides tips on when to claim and when to delay social security benefits in order to maximize value, particularly in the current low-interest rate environment. She also highlights the specific need for women to carefully consider their social security claiming strategy to ensure sufficient retirement income.

Episode 22: Social Security Strategies with Mary Beth Franklin

In episode 21, Mike Webb chats with arguably one of the coolest guys in retirement, J.D. Carlson. Learn how J.D. went from surf shop owner to CEO of TPA firm Plan Design Consultants, Inc., and host of the notorious Retireholi(k)s, a weekly show where retirement industry professionals notoriously get together for a few beers and "talk shop".

Episode 21: Making Retirement Cool - J.D. Carlson & the Retireholi(k)s

Let's face it, for most, ERISA and retirement plan law can be somewhat dull. However, this episode's Revamping Retirement guest has found a way to weave sports, pro-wrestling, soap operas and general '70s and '80s pop culture into his practice. Ary Rosenbaum practices ERISA and retirement plan law at The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C. and is also known by industry insiders as "That 401(k) Guy," infusing personality into his practice through his That 401(k) Site website, conference series, and podcast. In this episode 20 of Revamping Retirement, Mike Webb chats with Ary about his perspective on topics such as the DOL's Fiduciary Rule and ESG and Private Equity in retirement plans, his "wish list" for compliance changes to help plan sponsors avoid plan errors, and his collection of Mets memorabilia.

Episode 20: Perspective and Personality: An ERISA Attorney

In episode 19, Mike Webb chats, once again, with J.Money, an award-winning personal finance blogger, about the impact of the pandemic on the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) is a lifestyle movement that embraces the goal of achieving financial independence by decreasing spending and/or increasing income. Mike and J.Money discuss why now, in the middle of a pandemic and recession, individuals may want to consider adopting some of the key FIRE tenants. Will the pandemic light a flame for future FIRE movement participants?

Episode 19: The Pandemic's Effect on the FIRE Movement

According to a recent survey, more than 70% of employees would have some level of financial difficulty if their next paycheck was delayed by one week. Thus, the need for emergency savings to cover unforeseen expenses is clear. But how can employers encourage their participants to take control of their own financial wellness? One option, growing in popularity among retirement plan sponsors, is to offer an emergency savings account through the retirement plan recordkeeper. But are these "sidecar" accounts the best approach? In episode 18, Mike Webb and Jack Towarnicky of the American Retirement Association discuss differing views over utilizing sidecar accounts for emergency savings.

Episode 18: The Need for Emergency Savings

Revamping Retirement is a podcast hosted by retirement plan compliance guru, Mike Webb, in which we tackle the tough topics plaguing retirement plan sponsors in a light and almost entertaining approach (as entertaining as you can be for the topic at hand!). If you’re a retirement plan sponsor seeking clarity on retirement plan issues or you’re looking for tips on how to help participants achieve the best possible retirement plan outcomes, this podcast is for you! Brought to you by Cammack Retirement Group, a thought leader in the retirement plan investment advisory and consulting space. Learn more at www.cammackretirement.com

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Revamping Retirement

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