Thought Leadership

Ask an Adviser: What happens if we learn a missing 401(k) plan participant has died?

RCH EVP & Chief Revenue Officer steps up to the plate for Employee Benefit News' Ask an Adviser series, answering the question "what happens if we learn a missing plan participant has died?" Ringquist proceeds to identify a series of steps that plan sponsors can take in the wake of learning the unfortunate news concerning a plan participant's demise. As a preventative measure, Ringquist advises plan sponsors to consider implementing an ongoing program of portability to consolidate participants' balances, reducing the odds that they'll leave behind multiple, smaller-balance retirement savings accounts that wind up being lost in the retirement system.

What the Pension Protection Act has taught us about saving for retirement

Writing in Employee Benefit News, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams marks the 15th anniversary of the Pension Protection Act (PPA) and offers his views on the unintended consequences of that legislation. Acknowledging that the automatic enrollment feature has been successful in increasing plan participation, Williams notes that the feature also resulted in a “sharp uptick in small, stranded 401(k) savings accounts” that – absent easy plan-to-plan asset portability – has led to increased participant fees as well as higher levels of cash outs. In response, Williams observes that “the private and public sectors have worked together to create solutions” such as auto portability, which can help rectify the PPA’s flaws, and allow Americans to save more for retirement.

Exclusive Interview: Spencer Williams Says Post Separation Leakage “A Huge Problem”

Fiduciary News' Chris Carosa conducts a wide-ranging interview of RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams, gaining Williams' insights on America's 401(k) system, including how he is solving the problem of 401(k) cashout leakage via the RCH Auto Portability program. In the interview, Carosa covers a range of topics, including Williams' background and formative career experiences, the state of the 401(k) system, and of course, specifics about the RCH Auto Portability program and how it will have a positive impact on participants, plan sponsors and providers.

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Want to Avoid Legal Jeopardy? Adopt Solutions That Enable Portability for Small Accounts

Writing in Benefits Quarterly magazine, RCH founder, president and CEO Spencer Williams examines the multi-faceted problem of "small accounts" and describes how plan sponsors, providers and recordkeepers can take proactive measures to solve the problem by adopting auto portability. By adopting auto portability, Williams contends that the improved outcomes for participants could "mitigate the risk of 401(k) fee lawsuits and other legal actions down the line."

Portability on Steroids: Let’s See It! – Part Two

In part 2 of their 2-part interview, RCH’s Spencer Williams continues to discuss auto portability with Lisa Massena, Founder of Massena Associates. In part 2, Williams turns to the importance of Alight Solutions (the first large recordkeeper who has adopted auto portability), touches on a range of views on auto portability from within the DC Beltway, and offers his insight on broader issues, including the overall level of retirement savings coverage.

Portability on Steroids: Let’s See It!

In part 1 of their 2-part interview, RCH’s Founder, President & CEO Spencer Williams takes on the topic of auto portability with Lisa Massena, Founder of Massena Associates and publisher of the Retirement Security Matters newsletter. In part 1, their conversation highlights the fundamental dynamics driving the need for auto portability and offers readers a primer on how auto portability works.

Consolidating the Gains from a Program of Retirement Savings Portability

Following on to the 2013 study by Boston Research Group (now Boston Research Technologies), a new study released by Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) revisits a mega plan sponsor’s ongoing experience with a program of 401(k) retirement savings portability, and finds that not only have the benefits of the original program persisted, they’ve grown, with plan participants continuing to realize significant, measurable benefits.

New Research on Locating Missing Participants Augments DOL Guidance

On 1/26/21, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) released a study that advances the art and science of locating missing 401(k) plan participants. The study – Improving the Effectiveness of Electronic Missing Participant Searches – comes on the heels of U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) guidance on the topic and is highly-useful for plan sponsors who utilize electronic searches, or “e-Searches” -- as they are referenced in the study.