Media Coverage

2022: A Most Consequential Year for Retirement Savings Portability

Last year at this time, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) predicted that 2022 would be a pivotal year for retirement savings portability. It turns out we were right, but we confess to being pleasantly surprised at just how consequential (and positive) the year has been, and it’s not over yet. Writing in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins provides a rundown of key events during 2022 that have helped to positively shape the future of retirement savings portability.

Make retirement plan portability a New Year's resolution

Writing in Employee Benefit News, and taking his cue from the 10/5/22 announcement of the industry-led utility (Portability Services Network) to accelerate the nationwide adoption of auto portability, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams encourages plan sponsors resolve to adopt auto portability in the New Year, for both their participants and for the health of their plans. Williams writes: "[a]s we look ahead to the New Year, plan sponsors can resolve to help their participants increase their retirement savings—and increase key metrics such as average account balance—by adopting auto portability."

2022: A Most Consequential Year for Retirement Savings Portability

Last year at this time, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) predicted that 2022 would be a pivotal year for retirement savings portability. It turns out we were right, but we confess to being pleasantly surprised at just how consequential (and positive) the year has been, and it’s not over yet. Writing in the Consolidation Corner blog, RCH's Tom Hawkins provides a rundown of key events during 2022 that have helped to positively shape the future of retirement savings portability.

Webinar Showcases Extraordinary Industry Alignment on Auto Portability

For defined contribution recordkeepers, competition has long been fierce, so it’s extraordinary when industry rivals join forces and align around a common cause. That alignment around auto portability, embodied in the newly launched Portability Services Network (PSN), was on full display in a 12/8/22 Groom Law Group webinar. The event featured representatives from retirement industry titans and founding PSN members Alight Solutions, Fidelity Investments and the Vanguard Group, joined by Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) EVP Neal Ringquist. Watch a video replay of the webinar and read a summary of the event.

Previously featured in RCH's Consolidation Corner

Big Questions Facing Retirement Income Products

In his latest piece in Wealth Management, Fred Barstein continues to examine the state of retirement income products in defined contribution plans. Barstein writes: "[i]n-plan retirement income has been a hot topic for decades yet it seems like the momentum is finally building." This, in part, could be driven by the advent of the new Portability Services Network, which Barstein characterizes as "the first industry data exchange which could address [defined contribution plan] transferability issues."

Webinar Showcases Extraordinary Industry Alignment on Auto Portability

For defined contribution recordkeepers, competition has long been fierce, so it’s extraordinary when industry rivals join forces and align around a common cause. That alignment around auto portability, embodied in the newly launched Portability Services Network (PSN), was on full display in a 12/8/22 Groom Law Group webinar. The event featured representatives from retirement industry titans and founding PSN members Alight Solutions, Fidelity Investments and the Vanguard Group, joined by Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH).

401(k) Real Chat: Spencer Williams

Fred Barstein, founder and CEO of The Retirement Adviser University (TRAU), sits down with Spencer Williams, president & CEO of Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) and the Portability Services Network (PSN) to answer three probing questions about the new industry-led utility formed to accelerate the nationwide adoption of auto portability. Barstein asks Williams about PSN's purpose and how it came about, drills down on the data exchange mechanisms, and gets Williams' insights on the utility's roadmap for the future.

The In-Plan Retirement Income Dilemma

Writing in Wealth Management, Fred Barstein, Founder & CEO of The Retirement Adviser University (TRAU), examines the status of in-plan retirement income solutions. Barstein refers to "many conundrums the DC industry faces as we try to retrofit DC plans" including "the issue of transferability when a plan or participant switches record-keepers." On this point, Barstein states: "[t]here is hope as Fidelity, Alight and Vanguard, in collaboration with the Retirement Clearinghouse, recently created a data exchange called the Portability Services Network....to deal with smaller account transfers and leakage."