News

21,400 Plans Plug into One Network. The Creators Propose 3 More

The 401k Wire's Selma Khennisi writes about a recently-released whitepaper, authored by Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) president & CEO Spencer Williams, "whose team are proposing a trio of new defined contribution clearinghouse networks less than three years after the debut of [an Auto Portability Network]." The paper makes the case for an Auto Locate Network (ALN), a Saver's Match Network (SMN) and a Digital Rollover Network (DRN). Describing auto portability's technology as employed by the Portability Services Network, Williams explains that "it consists of a patented search engine technology that helps locate, match and validate retirement accounts" before moving them to current-employers' plans.

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Policy Experts See Trump Accounts as Future Hub for Rollovers

Writing in PSCA News, Paul Mulholland explores the potential implications of integrating Trump Accounts into our retirement system, "such as using them to assist in account consolidation and to increase uptake of the Saver’s Match." Mulholland turns to policy experts, including RCH's Neal Ringquist, who opines that "a lot would have to change legally for Trump accounts to be used" for consolidation purposes. As it pertains to the Saver's Match, Ringquist notes that "the $1,000 seed money contributions for Trump accounts can add interfacing experience between the Treasury Department and financial institutions which will be helpful in implementing the Saver’s Match."

Keeping the Missing Participant Search Compliant

PLANSPONSOR's Emily Boyle examines the current art & science of locating missing participants, concluding that plan sponsors must still take seriously their fiduciary responsibilities to address them. Boyle refers to RCH's "recommended three best practices for plan sponsors based on whether a participant is ahead, nearing or past a distribution event" and further cites industry expert Heather Bader, who believes that "automatic plan portability offered by the Portability Services Network LLC....will go a long way in helping solve the missing-participant issue." Boyle then turns to RCH EVP & Chief Revenue Officer Neal Ringquist, who offers key PSN metrics, adding that RCH has "released a white paper advocating that a neutral, shared, digital clearinghouse" based on the auto portability model, to form the basis for "a clearinghouse for the U.S. retirement system."

Could a Centralized Clearinghouse Fix 401(k) System Challenges?

Writing in 401kTV.com, Fred Barstein examines the recent proposal by Retirement Clearinghouse to build out a clearinghouse structure for America's retirement system, acknowledging its merit by observing that: "creating a centralized clearinghouse....allows retirement providers to securely exchange data and automatically move accounts when workers change jobs. Instead of today’s fragmented, often manual process, the system could operate more like a digital network that tracks and transfers retirement assets behind the scenes."

RCH Issues Vision for Retirement System Digital Clearinghouse

401k Specialist Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson covers the new RCH whitepaper, Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System: A Blueprint for a Digital Infrastructure, writing: "the release of the new whitepaper detail[s] how a neutral, digital clearinghouse—modeled on the proven Auto Portability Network—can systematically reduce cashouts, shrink the number of stranded and inactive accounts, and enable seamless interoperability across recordkeepers, custodians, IRAs, and government programs."

Why Plan Sponsors Need a Clear Uncashed Distribution Check Policy

Writing in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins addresses the significant uncertainties that plan sponsors face when navigating the issue of uncashed distribution checks. Hawkins writes: "it is vitally important that each retirement plan maintain a formal, documented and defensible uncashed distribution check policy – one that outlines the plan’s procedures, establishes consistent practices and mitigates fiduciary risk." Hawkins proceeds to identify key elements to consider when building such a policy, and -- conforming with the policy framework that Hawkins describes -- the article provides plan sponsors access to a downloadable, sample uncashed distribution check policy template for their use.

Previously featured in the RCH Consolidation Corner blog

RCH Proposes Radical System Intervention for 401(k) Plans

Writing in WealthManagement.com, Fred Barstein, the Founder and CEO of The Retirement Adviser University, offers his views on the 3/5/26 whitepaper released by Retirement Clearinghouse, which lays out a "blueprint" for building out a clearinghouse for the retirement system. Barstein characterizes the work as "a bold and deep white paper" which further builds upon an earlier "bold move by Spencer Williams, RCH’s CEO, and Robert Johnson, its owner" when they launched the Portability Services Network. Barstein observes that, to some the approach "might seem like a pipedream....except that RCH has created the model with the PSN", adding that "doing nothing is not viable."

Auto-portability fix for small 401(k)s leaves Roth savers behind

InvestmentNews' Lee Almazora pivots off an earlier piece in CNBC that highlights a general gap in the transfer of retirement funds that blocks Roth funds from moving back into another employer-sponsored plan, affecting auto portability. Almazora paraphrases RCH EVP & Chief Revenue Officer Neal Ringquist, who lays out key auto portability statistics, including consolidations, plans adopted and the number of active participants served by the network.