Recent Developments

Legislative Proposals Would Bolster Retirement Income Adequacy

PLANSPONSOR reporter Noah Zuss covers EBRI's 1/20/22 Issue Brief #550, which examined the impact of four recent policy proposals upon the nation's retirement deficits, including their impact on racial and ethnic demographic segments. While all proposals reduced retirement savings shortfalls, the combination of ACPAs and an enhanced saver's credit produced the best results. Importantly, when auto portability was added to both the ACPA and saver's credit, overall retirement savings shortfalls further decreased by 10.8% to 14.3%, depending on race/ethnicity.

Also featured in PlanAdviser

How to ‘Materially Reduce’ Retirement Savings Deficits Across Races

401k Specialist Editor-in-Chief John Sullivan examines the latest Issue Brief from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), which assesses the impact of recently-proposed changes to the retirement system and how they could shrink retirement deficits. Sullivan notes that "combining automatic contribution provisions with an enhanced Saver’s Credit in 401ks and DC plans would reduce retirement savings shortfalls by 17% to 26%, depending on race" adding that "the addition of auto portability of retirement accounts resulted in a further double-digit reduction in savings shortfall across all races examined."

National Urban League, NAACP Endorse 401k Auto Portability

Robert L. Johnson, Founder and Chairman of The RLJ Companies and majority owner of Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH), has secured endorsements for auto portability from two premier civil rights organizations – the National Urban League, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – both with over a century of experience advocating for solutions that address the inequities and economic challenges experienced by Black Americans and by other communities of color. Writing in 401k Specialist, RCH's Renée Wilder Guerin, Executive Vice President, Public Policy, summarizes these major developments.

The Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings

In a publication released 1/6/2022 as part of the Aspen Institute's Financial Security Program, the 2021 Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings Report is a summary of the April 2021 Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings. The Forum's report devotes a page to "Six Stats That Tell the Portability Story" which notes the propensity of American workers to change jobs and to cash out. It also mentions two compelling statistics: 1) that 85% of participants like the idea of automatic portability and 2) that 57% of retirement experts supported a government mandate for auto portability, while almost half (48%) believed that automatic portability was feasible without such a mandate.

Solving 401k Portability and Cashout Leakage a Key DOL Priority

On 12/6/21, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor for Retirement, served as the keynote speaker at EBRI's 90th Public Policy Forum, and outlined the big-picture, retirement-focused priorities of the DOL. One of the DOL's three priorities is the issue of portability and leakage. Writing in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins examines Townsend's remarks to her EBRI audience, which revealed that she has a clear grasp of the magnitude of the cashout leakage problem, as well as its most-promising solution – enabling plan-to-plan portability.

Kennedy Townsend: Solving Portability and Cashout Leakage are a Key DOL Priority

On 12/6/21, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor for Retirement, served as the keynote speaker at EBRI's 90th Public Policy Forum, and outlined the big-picture, retirement-focused priorities of the DOL. One of the DOL's three priorities is the issue of portability and leakage. RCH's Tom Hawkins examines Townsend's remarks to her EBRI audience, which revealed that she has a clear grasp of the magnitude of the cashout leakage problem, as well as its most-promising solution – enabling plan-to-plan portability.

A Brief History of 401k Auto Portability (and Why it Matters)

Auto portability is a new “automatic” plan feature rapidly gaining acceptance by large defined contribution recordkeepers. While the feature is relatively new, it’s tempting to view auto portability as an “overnight success.” In fact, auto portability has been a long time in the making. In his latest article in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins examines a “brief history” of auto portability, including an embedded video featured on YouTube.

4 Reasons Why 401k Auto Portability Can’t Wait

Writing in 401k Specialist Magazine, RCH's Tom Hawkins makes the case that auto portability can wait no longer and cites four key reasons that the new "automatic" feature should be adopted. Hawkins' key reasons include: 1) cashout leakage isn't waiting, 2) the "Great Resignation" is accelerating, 3) policy initiatives that expand access to workplace retirement plans require auto portability to realize their intended benefits, and 4) auto portability is here, now and working.

Previously featured in Consolidation Corner