Media Coverage

Financial Literacy Isn't Just About Saving -- It's About Protecting What You've Earned

Writing in Kiplinger.com, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams makes a compelling case for retirement savings preservation to become a pillar of financial literacy, alongside learning to save and invest. Williams provides real-world examples of the power of preservation and offers readers with four ways to hold onto their savings in the face of life events.

Plan Churn: The Hidden Threat to a Mobile Workforce’s Retirement Savings

Writing in 401k Specialist, RCH’s Tom Hawkins examines the phenomenon of “plan churn” – which he defines as the ongoing incidence of plan terminations and changes in plan recordkeepers. When combined with a highly mobile workforce, plan churn can create a “perfect storm” that magnifies the risk of cashout leakage as well as the problem of left-behind accounts. Plan churn, asserts Hawkins, can be best addressed by automated account consolidation, as identified in Retirement Clearinghouse’s vision of a digital clearinghouse model for the defined contribution system.

Previously featured in the RCH Consolidation Corner Blog

A Step Forward, But Will Standardized Forms Fix Retirement System Fragmentation?

Writing in the Consolidation Corner blog, RCH’s Tom Hawkins provides his point of view on IRS Notice 2026-49 (Guidance on Section 324 of the SECURE 2.0 Act with Respect to Rollovers), which proposes four model forms and a five-step process designed to facilitate plan-to-plan portability. While Hawkins views the proposed guidance as “a welcome and constructive development” he also makes the case for a market-driven digital infrastructure that would more fully address the problem of systemic friction in our retirement system.

RCH Consolidation Corner Channel Ep. 32 - The Recordkeeper Case for Auto Portability

In this episode, we examine the case for auto portability, from the perspective of defined contribution plan recordkeepers. We hope you’ll find the audio enjoyable and informative.

Plan Churn: The Hidden Threat to a Mobile Workforce’s Retirement Savings

Writing in Consolidation Corner, RCH’s Tom Hawkins examines the phenomenon of “plan churn” – which he defines as the ongoing incidence of plan terminations and changes in plan recordkeepers. When combined with a highly mobile workforce, plan churn can create a “perfect storm” that magnifies the risk of cashout leakage as well as the problem of left-behind accounts. Plan churn, asserts Hawkins, can be best addressed by automated account consolidation, as identified in Retirement Clearinghouse’s vision of a digital clearinghouse model for the defined contribution system.

RCH Consolidation Corner Channel Ep. 31 - The Participant Case for Auto Portability

In this episode, we examine the case for auto portability, from the vitally important perspective of plan participants. We hope you’ll find the audio enjoyable and informative.

The Recordkeeper Case for Auto Portability

Writing in the RCH Consolidation Corner Blog, Steve Holman, SVP of PSN Strategy & Development, lays out the case for auto portability from the perspective of defined contribution recordkeepers. Holman identifies four important reasons why auto portability is beneficial, including 1) delivering a positive ROI, 2) differentiating their value proposition, 3) industry collaboration & reciprocity and 4) strengthening the DC system by addressing the small account problem at scale. “Auto portability” concludes Holman, “is not simply an operational enhancement – it is a foundational capability for the future of defined contribution plans.”

The “Plumbing” Needed to Improve the Retirement Saving System

Writing in his Retirement Translator substack, Andy Eschtruth, Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, examines the longstanding requirement to establish "digital connections" to facilitate "moving money easily, accurately, and securely among various actors in the retirement savings system, including employers, recordkeepers, payroll providers, banks, the Treasury, and individuals." Eschtruth refers to this colloquially as "plumbing" and credits Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) as being both a pioneer and a visionary in establishing auto portability and in advocating for a broader digital solution that would function as "as a shared utility that would be available to all actors and versatile enough to build once and use many times.”