News

​401k Auto Portability’s Role in Reducing Cybersecurity Risk

In the 5th installment of his five-part series featured in 401K Specialist on "How Auto Portability Serves Participants' Best Interests", RCH's Tom Hawkins examines how auto portability can mitigate retirement savings cybersecurity risks. Auto portability, writes Hawkins, employs the simple-but-powerful principle of consolidation to lower cyber-risk by 1) reducing the cyber-threat attack surface, 2) minimizing fraud-prone, small-balance retirement savings accounts and 3) securely moving retirement savings forward.

Ringquist Quoted, National Cash Out Clock Cited By Detroit Free Press

In her article offering tips to readers who face financial pressure from an unexpected layoff, the Detroit Free Press' Susan Tompor quotes RCH EVP Neal Ringquist and references RCH's National Retirement Savings Cash Out Clock (link), which projects that Americans will cash out $68 billion in 2019. Ringquist urges caution in tapping a 401(k) balance prematurely, advising against withdrawals except for a true financial emergency, stating "you can't borrow for retirement once you retire."

3 Ways Auto Portability Promotes 401k Financial Wellness

In the 4th installment of his five-part series in 401kSpecialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins examines how a program of auto portability can enhance 401(k) participants' financial wellness. To make his case, Hawkins identifies three ways auto portability promotes financial well-being, including: 1) preventing unnecessary 401(k) cashouts, 2) helping 401(k) participants clear the "$10,000 hurdle" and 3) simplifying retirement planning.

Job hopping can hamper retirement savings — but it doesn’t have to

In his latest article in Employee Benefit News, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams advises retirement plan sponsors to consider tracking the average percentage of retirement savings that participants retain during their tenure. Auto portability, says Williams, can enable participants to preserve their small-balance savings through job changes. Going further, Williams encourages plan sponsors and consultants to apply the all-important “participant-retained savings” lens when evaluating their automatic rollover programs, including metrics such as cash-out rates, median safe harbor IRA account duration and provider support for consolidation.

EBRI's VanDerhei Addresses PSCA Conference, Including Auto Portability Update

ASPPA Net's John Iekel covers EBRI Research Director Jack VanDerhei's 5/1/19 presentation before the PSCA National Conference, where VanDerhei provided an update on auto portability's benefits, as calculated in EBRI's Retirement Security Projection Model (RSPM). According to Iekel, VanDerhei asserted that "introducing auto-portability for participants who are Gen Xers reduced retirement savings shortfalls for couples regardless of which dies first, and for single people regardless of gender."

Also Featured in NAPA Net (link)

Got a New Job? Here’s What to Do With Your Old 401(k)

The Penny Hoarder's Sarah Kuta runs down the options facing 401(k) participants when they change jobs, including 1) leaving their savings in the plan, 2) rolling into a new employer's plan, 3) rolling over to an IRA and 4) cashing out. When it comes to cashing out, Kuta warns participants against this damaging behavior, citing a 2017 report by Retirement Clearinghouse, entitled "The Fundamentals of 401(k) Cashout Leakage" which takes a comprehensive view of America's 401(k) cashout leakage problem.

Workforce Magazine Features Cybersecurity Retirement Risks, Quotes RCH's Ringquist

Workforce Magazine's Patty Kujawa chronicles the growing concern over cybersecurity for retirement plans, including the recent request from DC legislators to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), as well as initiatives emanating from the Pension Research Council and SPARK. Addressing the topic of using third-party auditors to assess service providers, Kujawa turns to RCH EVP Neal Ringquist, who advocates for the practice, but cautions against too much public disclosure, pointing to the "middle ground that can accommodate both sides."

Mercer Exec: Auto Portability 'Essential for Shoring Up US Retirement System'

In his capacity as Head of US Defined Contribution and Financial Wellness Research, Mercer's Neil Lloyd notes the recent emergence of serious industry dialogue on plan-to-plan retirement savings portability. Long a proponent of portability, Lloyd recognizes the inherent problems associated with holding multiple retirement saving accounts. In his piece, Lloyd strongly advocates for auto portability, stating that it "might be the solution to less efficient small-balance accounts." Lloyd goes further, opining that auto portability should be considered a legislative priority, writing that "SECURE ACT 2 will be vastly improved if provisions further supporting auto-portability are included."