Public Policy

Why 401k Auto Portability is Just the Right Thing to Do

In the fifth installment of his five-part series on 401(k) cashout leakage in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins addresses auto portability, a solution that not only makes sound business sense, but delivers a positive societal impact for the corporations adopting it. Citing the recent "Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation" from members of the Business Roundtable, Hawkins believes that as these socially-conscious corporations examine auto portability, they’ll quickly become convinced that auto portability is both a sound business decision, as well as the right thing to do.

How to Stop 401(k) Participants From Taking the Money and Running

ThinkAdvisor's Michael S. Fischer examines the latest Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) research on auto portability, and finds a lot to like. First addressing the magnitude of the 401(k) cashout leakage problem, Fischer notes EBRI's finding that $92.4 billion leaked in 2015, and that each year, 4 in 10 plan participants who leave their jobs will cash out 15% of plan assets. Fischer goes on to highlight auto portability's effectiveness in plugging cashout leakage, accounting for $1.5 trillion in benefits as a standalone policy initiative. Fischer further cites auto portability's benefits to specific demographic segments, and concludes by noting its incremental, beneficial effects when combined with other legislative initiatives that expand access to workplace retirement plans.

Cash-out leakage is still too high — and auto portability can help

In his latest byline in Employee Benefit News, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams takes on cash-out leakage -- which remains a big problem for the U.S. retirement system. Citing research that examines auto portability in tandem with various legislative proposals to help Americans save more for retirement, Williams makes the case that, with auto portability, millions of participants will no longer find cashing out to be the easiest option when they switch jobs, and will preserve their retirement savings instead.

Promising Policies to Reduce 401k Cashout Leakage

In the fourth installment of his five-part series on 401(k) cashout leakage, RCH's Tom Hawkins examines three policy options to address the problem, and finds that policies facilitating portability and addressing financial emergencies have the most promise. Facilitating portability, adds Hawkins, is extensively supported by research -- and in the case of auto portability -- has an already-established regulatory framework with no barriers to widespread adoption.

CNBC Video: Robert L. Johnson Addresses Auto Portability's Importance

In a 9/12/19 interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Robert L. Johnson, Founder & Chairman of The RLJ Companies, and majority owner of Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH), goes in-depth on auto portability, praising the Trump administration’s favorable actions, while also noting the ongoing bipartisan support for the new plan feature. Johnson offers the CNBC panel a primer on how auto portability works, it’s significant benefits for Americans’ retirement security -- particularly minorities -- and the importance of gaining rapid adoption to deliver on its promise.

Newly Sanctioned Auto Portability Solution Could Boost Retirement Savings by Trillions

In her 8/23/19 article, carried in both PLANSPONSOR and PlanAdviser, reporter Rebecca Moore links the most-recent regulatory actions from the DOL on the RCH Auto Portability program with the 8/15/19 EBRI Issue Brief, which projects the overall, 40-year present value of auto portability at nearly $2 trillion. Moore addresses the key findings from the latest EBRI research, which include new projections of 401(k) cashout leakage ($92.4 billion in 2015), projections of auto portability as a standalone policy initiative, auto portability paired with other legislative proposals, and finally, the beneficial impact of auto portability on specific demographic segments.

Also featured in PlanAdviser

How Big is the 401k Cashout Leakage Problem (Really)?

In his five-part series in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins sheds light on the problem of cashout leakage, a silent crisis that unnecessarily robs millions of Americans of their retirement security. In his third article in the series, Hawkins examines the magnitude of the 401(k) cashout leakage problem, sharing new statistics recently supplied by EBRI, and offering some interesting comparisons so the reader can fully-grasp the enormity of the problem.

Auto Porting Old 401(k) Balances Could Save $2T: Report

In his 8/22/19 article, Ingites' Emile Hallez reports on the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) 8/15/19 Issue Brief, which projects significant public policy benefits from the application of auto portability to the problem of cashout leakage. Auto portability, says Hallez, represents "a single policy change...[that]...could increase U.S. retirement savings by as much as $2 trillion over 40 years." Hallez then links the EBRI research to recent guidance issued by the DOL for the RCH Auto Portability program.