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Safe harbor IRA blog posts
The Most Promising Policies to Reduce 401(k) Cashout Leakage
In his five-part series in Consolidation Corner, RCH's Tom Hawkins sheds light on the problem of cashout leakage, a silent crisis that unnecessarily robs millions of Americans of their retirement security. In his fourth article in the series, Hawkins addresses policies with the most promise to reduce the 401(k) cashout leakage problem.
The Safe-Harbor IRA: Friend or Foe?
In his latest Consolidation Corner
blog post, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams draws much-needed attention
to the downside of traditional safe harbor IRAs. While plans can benefit by
practices that remove small-balance accounts, Williams argues that this benefit
may be illusory, as former plan participants will likely cash out or become
“stuck” with multiple accounts that deplete their savings – both scenarios that
could expose sponsors to potential liability. Auto portability, says
Williams, can reverse this dysfunctional dynamic, achieving better outcomes for
plans and participants alike.
A Plan Metric Every Sponsor Should Track: Participant-Retained Retirement Savings
In his latest article in Consolidation Corner, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams advises retirement plan sponsors to consider tracking the average percentage of retirement savings that participants retain during their tenure. Auto portability, says Williams, can enable participants to preserve their small-balance savings through job changes. Going further, Williams encourages plan sponsors and consultants to apply the all-important “participant-retained savings” lens when evaluating automatic rollover programs, including metrics such as cash-out rates, median safe harbor IRA account duration and provider support for consolidation.
How Auto Portability Serves Participants’ Best Interests - Part 2: An Enhanced Standard of Participant Care
In the second installment of his five-part series "How Auto Portability Serves Participants' Best Interests", RCH's Tom Hawkins examines how auto portability, by extending and
enhancing elements of automatic rollovers, establishes a new standard of
participant care. Auto portability, writes Hawkins, protects participants by: 1) minimizing time spent in a safe harbor IRA, 2)
eliminating the need to cash out balances less than $1,000, 3) enhancing
participant communication, 4) formally integrating a robust address location
search and 5) establishing a transparent, simple & straightforward fee
structure.
What is Auto Portability? It Depends on Who’s Asking.
With the announcement of the Department of Labor’s recent actions, auto portability has taken center stage in the retirement industry. While auto portability has been well-known to a relatively small group of industry insiders, its recent, widespread coverage in the media has many asking the question “what is auto portability?” In this article, RCH Senior Vice President Tom Hawkins suggests that the best answer may depend on who's asking the question, but one thing's clear: auto portability is an idea whose time has come.
Auto Portability is Like Bacon—It Makes Everything Better
In his monthly column in Consolidation Corner, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams explains to readers why auto portability is like bacon -- by making everything better for all parties in America’s retirement system.
A Tale of Two 401(k) Balance Segments
RCH's Tom Hawkins reveals new research that predicts 401(k) participant outcomes following
separation for two balance segments – those above & below $15,000. Using logic developed in the Auto Portability Simulation to track & tally
participant outcomes 8 years following separation, the results reveal a startling contrast between
the two segments – with participants in the over-$15,000
segment experiencing far-superior outcomes to those in the under-$15,000
segment. To address the disparities, Hawkins advocates for a new “automatic” in the form of auto portability.
401(k) Consolidation: What Every Plan Sponsor Should Know
Plan sponsors intuitively know that a proliferation of small-balance 401(k) accounts can create problems. But few sponsors are clear on the factors that give rise to small accounts, and fewer still understand how they can utilize portability programs to solve the problem.
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