Thought Leadership

Financial Literacy and the Power of Preservation

Writing in the RCH Consolidation Corner blog, Tom Hawkins shares his impressions from the 3/31/26 SPARK Champions for Financial Literacy event in Washington, DC, which kicked off Financial Literacy Month. Hawkins notes the impressive line-up of speakers, including policy headliners Kevin Hassett, Director, National Economic Council and Luke Pettit, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions, and many others – all sharing relevant personal and professional experiences that spoke directly to the transformative power of financial literacy. However, it was the address by RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams, whose laser focus on savings preservation and his passionate advocacy for the building out of a “neutral, industry-scale clearinghouse” that could wind up being the most consequential message delivered at the event. Williams’ full speech is included in the article.

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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Building Out the Clearinghouse Our Retirement System Demands

On March 5, 2025, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) released a landmark whitepaper – Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System: A Blueprint for a Digital Infrastructure. In this article, RCH's Tom Hawkins, a co-author of the paper, summarizes the high-level, compelling case for expanding the set of clearinghouse services beyond auto portability, and explains why this initiative is absolutely required in order to "create a retirement ecosystem that does what it should have done all along: protect workers’ savings as they move through their careers, not lose them along the way."

RCH Proposes ‘Digital Clearinghouse’ to Modernize Retirement Infrastructure

Writing in NAPA Net, Ted Godbout addresses the newly-released whitepaper from Retirement Clearinghouse (Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System: A Blueprint for a Digital Infrastructure), which "details how a 'neutral, digital clearinghouse' can reduce retirement plan cash‑outs and the number of dormant accounts, all while enabling seamless interoperability across recordkeepers, custodians, and government programs." Godbout writes "[t]he clearinghouse concept would be modeled after the firm’s Auto Portability Network, but expanded to include additional functionality, such as a Saver’s Match Network, Auto Locate Network, and Digital Rollover Network."

MEDIA ALERT: Whitepaper Presents Comprehensive Framework for Modernizing America’s Fragmented Retirement Ecosystem

MARCH 5, 2026 – Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) today announced the release of a landmark whitepaper, Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System: A Blueprint for a Digital Infrastructure. Authored by Spencer Williams, Thomas Hawkins, and Dr. Ricki Ingalls, the paper presents the most comprehensive framework to date for modernizing America’s fragmented retirement ecosystem.

Commentary: Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to close America’s wealth gap

Retirement Clearinghouse and Portability Services Network Chairman Robert L. Johnson, writing in Pensions & Investments, makes a compelling case for three public policy initiatives -- Auto Portability, the Saver’s Match and Trump Accounts -- that represent a chance "to reshape the trajectory of retirement savings -- and finally confront America’s stubborn wealth gap." Johnson recounts his personal journey, a timeframe which coincides with some key milestones, including the inception of America's 401(k) system, and a widening of the wealth gap. Johnson closes with a call to action, urging "public and and private sectors to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give America’s chronically under-served and under-saved workers generational wealth."

How 401(k) Auto Portability Boosts Women's Retirement Savings

Writing in Kiplinger, RCH and PSN President Spencer Williams offers readers his views on the potential benefits of auto portability for women. While women face significant disparities in earnings, Williams notes that those disparities also drive a "lower amount of retirement benefits women earn compared to men" and cites research suggesting that "over the course of a generation, 116 million women will cash out nearly $290 billion in retirement savings." Conversely, if auto portability were widely adopted, Williams writes that "111 million women would preserve $753 billion (measured in today’s dollars) in our nation’s retirement system."

After 50 years of milestones, the retirement industry is bracing for yet more innovation

Writing in BenefitsPRO on the occasion of National 401(k) Day, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) and Portability Services Network (PSN) President & CEO Spencer Williams takes the long view -- looking back at the 50 years that have elapsed since the passage of ERISA in 1974. As Williams writes, "[m]uch has been accomplished over the previous 50 years, and more innovation is on the horizon" while proceeding to describe the "long and winding road" of innovations that have led to present day. The accumulation of innovative features, asserts Williams, has positioned the industry for the adoption of auto portability, where "people really can take their benefits with them from job to job, and keep their retirement savings vested."