Media Coverage

Beyond Missing: Targeting Unresponsive Participants in Retirement Plans

Writing in 401k Specialist, Tom Hawkins examines the phenomenon of ‘unresponsive’ participants, which he defines as participants “for whom a plan has correct contact information, but who fail to respond to plan communications.” This sub-set of missing participants presents plan sponsors with unique challenges, because “the challenge is not finding them – it’s engaging them.” Hawkins continues by identifying six major drivers of unresponsive participants, while offering plan sponsors six best practices to minimize them.

Plan Sponsors, Providers Face Challenges Creating Retirement Income

Writing in PLANSPONSOR, Elizabeth Harris turns to retirement industry experts to examine the obstacles associated with turning retirement savings into regular income. Vanguard's Fiona Grieg, global head of the firm's investor research and policy group, addressed empirical data associated with 70,000 retirees, suggesting that many of them "just don’t know what to do." Highlighting the issue of cashout leakage, Grieg noted that "Vanguard is one of the founding recordkeepers of the Portability Services Network and is encouraging its clients to join" while pointing out that the consolidation of "small pots" could deliver significant benefits, considering that the average workers has "nine jobs over the course of their careers."

Adaptability: The Next Step in 401(k) Plan Personalization

Writing in NAPA Net, American Retirement Association Chief Content Officer John Sullivan examines the results of Invesco's Spring 2025 Defined Contribution Retirement Pulse Survey. Sullivan reports that, among several key survey findings, portability is a key preference, with 83% of respondents indicating that they want their contribution rates and auto-escalation features to move with them if they change jobs. These findings echo earlier research views from Vanguard, who speculated that auto portability could be adapted to transfer not only small-balance retirement savings, but savings contribution rate data as well.

RCH Consolidation Corner Channel Ep. 13 - Understanding 401(k) Cashout Leakage

In this episode, we explore the topic of 401(k) cashout leakage, which has represented a persistent problem in America’s defined contribution system. We hope you’ll find the audio enjoyable and informative.

Upcoming Changes to 401(k) Plans That’ll Help Almost Everyone Save More

Writing in MSN Money, Sarah Sharkey highlights five key changes to 401(k) plans that promise greater retirement security for America workers. Enabled and/or extended by recent SECURE 2.0 legislation, Sharkey's changes include three "autos" -- auto enrollment, auto escalation and auto portability. Regarding auto portability, Sharkey notes that the new plan feature should exert a powerful effect on preserving retirement savings, writing: "eventually, [auto portability] should help millions of savers keep their nest eggs intact."

Also featured in FinanceBuzz

Saver's Match holds promise for closing savings gap

There’s a lot of attention now focused on the Saver’s Match, the SECURE Act 2.0-enabled program that – starting in the 2027 tax year – will allow qualified individuals who contribute to an IRA or participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan to receive a 50% federal matching contribution of up to $1,000. In his latest article in Employee Benefits News, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams breaks down the highly positive impact that the program will have on retirement security, citing research revealing that “the Saver’s Match has the potential to accomplish more than many expected as far as closing the retirement savings gap among Americans.”

RCH Consolidation Corner Channel Ep. 12 - Auto Portability's Importance to Financial Advisors

In this episode of the RCH Consolidation Corner Channel, we examine the importance and relevance of auto portability to the financial advisor community, where the new feature is getting a lot of attention. We hope you’ll find the audio enjoyable and informative.

RCH Consolidation Corner Channel Ep. 11 - When & How to Increase the Intensity of Missing Participant Searches

In this episode of the RCH Consolidation Corner Channel, we focus on when and how plan sponsors should consider increasing the intensity of their searches for missing plan participants. We hope you’ll find the audio enjoyable and informative.