News

Your State (and Trump) Wants to Help You Save for Retirement. Here's How

Covering retirement planning for Kiplinger, author Christy Beiber addresses some of the emerging ways that workers can boost their retirement savings, including participating in state-based Auto IRA plans, as well as taking advantage of the Saver's Match, a federal program that will launch in 2028, for the 2027 tax year. In her piece, Bieber provides readers with a link to the RCH Saver's Match Estimator, a specialized calculator developed by Retirement Clearinghouse that will estimate savers' potential matching contributions with the entry of their tax filing status, adjusted gross income and annual retirement plan contribution.

RCH Urges Plan Sponsors to Adopt Sound Uncashed-Check Resolution Policy

PLANSPONSOR's Emily Boyle provides an overview of a 2/24/26 RCH article entitled "Why Plan Sponsors Need a Clear Uncashed Distribution Check Policy", where RCH urges plan sponsors to adopt a sound uncashed check resolution policy. Boyle recaps the main points in the RCH article, which focus on the organization and structure of a sample policy, and informs readers about the sample uncashed check policy template that RCH has made available for download.

Who qualifies for Trump Accounts? Benefit mentioned at SOTU, explained

The USA Today author team of Kinsey Crowley and Daniel de Visé clarify Trump Accounts, which were mentioned at the President's 2/24/26 State of the Union Address. Detailing the new program, the authors turn to RCH founder & CEO Spencer Williams, who addresses the "unique set of rules" that characterize the Trump Account program, stating: "it’s unclear what happens if Granddad puts money in and your employer also puts money in,” adding: “all of that is going to be sorted out over time.”

Kelsey’s (K)orner: Cool Runnings and Auto Portability — How We Smooth the Track

Kelsey Mayo, Chief of Retirement Policy & Regulatory Affairs for the American Retirement Association (ARA), authors a piece in NAPA Net, addressing potential improvements that would "smooth the track" for auto portability, including allowing the portability of Roth balances, explicitly including sub-$1,000 balances and "expanding the parameters" to include balances greater than $7,000. Mayo closes by writing: "[a]uto portability is directionally correct. Leakage remains a very real threat—and this is meaningful progress."

SECURE 2.0 Adoption Trends: Plan Sponsors Lean Into Enhanced Catch-Up Contributions

Writing in 401k Specialist, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson offers insights into Vanguard's analysis of SECURE 2.0 adoption trends by their plan sponsor clients. With respect to auto portability adoption, Anderson writes that "the new analysis also shows auto portability is gaining traction" -- referencing the Vanguard analysis which found that "7% of its plans had adopted" the feature by year-end 2025. Anderson notes that this "comes on the heels of other recordkeepers announcements" and cites a November 2025 report by Fidelity indicating that more than one-third of its 26,500 plans have already adopted auto portability. Anderson adds that "[a]uto portability offers a structural solution to retirement savings leakage -- an issue policymakers have long targeted."

Plan Sponsors Warm Up to Super Catch-Up

PLANSPONSOR's Emily Boyle reviews a 2/10/26 Fiduciary & Regulatory Insights report from Vanguard's Jeffrey Clark, which examines optional provisions of SECURE 2.0 that are beginning to take hold with their plan sponsor clients. Boyle writes that the Vanguard analysis concludes that, "[b]y year-end 2025, 7% of plans had adopted auto-portability," and quoted Clark's piece as characterizing the results as "a modest step with significant long-term potential.”

When do you get your $1,000 'Trump Account'? Answers here.

USA Today personal finance reporter Daniel de Visé provides readers with important details on Trump Accounts, a federal program that De Visé suggests "took a big leap in visibility on Super Bowl Sunday, thanks to a strategically placed ad." De Visé turns to industry stalwarts at Fidelity, Vanguard and RCH for their expert views on the new program, including RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams. Williams characterizes the Trump Accounts' overall theme as “invest in America,” and states that the novel account structure converts to "an ordinary IRA" at age 18, when "accountholders will have more freedom in how to invest the funds." Meanwhile, Williams suggests, the many potential money sources may require further clarification, and will be "sorted out over time.”

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Retirement Readiness Improves, But Long-Term Concerns Remain

Writing in RoughNotes.com and covering a recent Harkin Institute Symposium, Thomas McCoy, CLU, discusses the "macro-view of workers’ prospects for retirement security" and see reasons for optimism. McCoy cites remarks made by Kelly Hahn, Vanguard’s head of retirement research, whose firm is a member of the Portability Services Network and supports auto portability for their plan sponsor clients. Hahn suggested that auto portability could eventually play a role in preserving saving rates when an employee enrolls in a new employer's plan. Also attending was Groom Law Group's Michael Kreps, who remarked that auto portability was a solution for cashout leakage and for minimizing small balances left behind at former employers.