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Auto Portability blog posts
Larger 401(k) Plans Embrace Auto Portability as Due Diligence Drives Confidence
Since late 2023, when auto portability – as delivered via the Portability Services Network (PSN) – became operational, the new plan feature has been steadily working its way from an innovative concept into a core best practice for addressing the chronic problem of retirement plan cashout leakage. What’s becoming increasingly clear is that larger 401(k) plans are now joining the movement in meaningful numbers. That shift represents an important inflection point: one where cautious, scale‑focused plan sponsors are completing their due diligence and becoming confident that auto portability delivers real, measurable value to participants without introducing unnecessary risk.
On Earth Day, Consider Auto Portability to ‘Recycle’ 401(k) Savings
On April 22nd, we celebrate the 56th annual Earth Day, and
that gives RCH’s Tom Hawkins the opportunity to consider how the concept of
recycling applies to our nation’s 401(k) system, which Hawkins characterizes as
having a “waste problem” that manifests in the form of excessive cashout
leakage and stranded accounts. By contrast, auto portability represents a
sustainable solution that ‘recycles’ small-balance accounts, and its adoption
is rapidly accelerating via members of the Portability
Services Network (PSN).
Financial Literacy and the Power of Preservation
Writing in the RCH Consolidation Corner blog, Tom Hawkins shares his impressions from the 3/31/26 SPARK Champions for Financial Literacy event in Washington, DC, which kicked off Financial Literacy Month. Hawkins notes the impressive line-up of speakers, including policy headliners Kevin Hassett, Director, National Economic Council and Luke Pettit, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions, and many others – all sharing relevant personal and professional experiences that spoke directly to the transformative power of financial literacy. However, it was the address by RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams, whose laser focus on savings preservation and his passionate advocacy for the building out of a “neutral, industry-scale clearinghouse” that could wind up being the most consequential message delivered at the event. Williams’ full speech is included in the article.
RCH Consolidation Corner Channel Ep. 25 - A Blueprint for Digital Clearinghouse Services
Welcome to episode 25 of the RCH Consolidation Corner Channel, where we provide audio content that explores key issues in the preservation and consolidation of retirement savings. In this episode, we look at the critical need to build out a digital clearinghouse infrastructure for America’s retirement system. We hope you’ll find the audio enjoyable and informative.
Building Out the Clearinghouse Our Retirement System Demands
On March 5, 2025, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) released a landmark whitepaper – Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System: A Blueprint for a Digital Infrastructure. In this article, RCH's Tom Hawkins, a co-author of the paper, summarizes the high-level, compelling case for expanding the set of clearinghouse services beyond auto portability, and explains why this initiative is absolutely required in order to "create a retirement ecosystem that does what it should have done all along: protect workers’ savings as they move through their careers, not lose them along the way."
Generation Beta: The First Americans to Start Saving for Retirement at Birth
Writing in RCH's Consolidation Corner, President & CEO Spencer Williams examines the phenomenon of Generation Beta, the first Americans "who will start saving for their retirement when they are born" - by virtue of their qualifying to receive federally-funded Trump Accounts. Williams further observes that "[w]hen recipients of Trump Accounts turn 18, those accounts are eligible to be rolled in to their employer’s 401(k) plan" and sees opportunities for "digital, paperless account portability" to facilitate the consolidation of these balances and allowing for their ongoing growth.
2025: A Breakthrough Year for Portability
Writing in the Consolidation Corner blog, RCH’s Tom Hawkins looks back on 2025, when four important developments emerged related to the topic of retirement savings portability. Taken together, Hawkins asserts that these developments represent a “breakthrough year for portability” with a “clear pattern emerging – where retirement savings portability in general, and specifically – auto portability, will figure prominently in the drive for increased retirement security in 2026 and beyond.”
Auto Portability: Adoption Figures Soar; Thought Leaders Want More
RCH’s Tom Hawkins, writing in RCH’s Consolidation Corner, recounts an extraordinary month of October for auto portability, with “with plan sponsor adoption surging and industry thought leaders increasingly recognizing the promise of auto portability in finally solving longstanding 401(k) system portability issues.” This level of interest and support for auto portability indicates that “the shift is on” and auto portability “is now clearly winning the day.”
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