RCH Thought Leadership

Read about RCH's thought leadership positions, including Auto Portability.


Jan
25
2021

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.

Sep
30
2020

From Tired to Inspired: A Roadmap for 401k Roll-ins

In his latest article in 401k Specialist Magazine, RCH's Tom Hawkins walks readers through a "roadmap" for the progression of 401(k) roll-ins from ‘tired’ to ‘wired’ and finally, to the ‘inspired’ state that will eventually characterize 401(k) plan-to-plan portability. The article also includes a video providing viewers with the essential points made in the piece.

Sep
27
2018

Pairing 401(k) Savings Preservation and Expanded Access for America’s Minorities

In this article, RCH's Spencer Williams and Tom Hawkins address an important retirement public policy question: How would a pairing of auto portability with open multiple employer plans (or “open MEPs”) impact the retirement savings of America’s minorities, and particularly, African-Americans?

Aug
16
2018

A Tale of Two 401(k) Balance Segments

RCH's Tom Hawkins reveals new research that predicts 401(k) participant outcomes following separation for two balance segments – those above & below $15,000. Using logic developed in the Auto Portability Simulation to track & tally participant outcomes 8 years following separation, the results reveal a startling contrast between the two segments – with participants in the over-$15,000 segment experiencing far-superior outcomes to those in the under-$15,000 segment. To address the disparities, Hawkins advocates for a new “automatic” in the form of auto portability.

Jul
25
2018

401(k) Truth Bomb: Missing Participants are Bad, 401(k) Cashouts Are Worse

It may surprise many to learn that there’s another problem that’s orders-of-magnitude worse, which silently devastates millions of Americans’ prospects for a timely or comfortable retirement every year. I’m referring to 401(k) cashouts, and it’s time we took serious action to address them head-on.

Mar
13
2018

PRESS RELEASE - First-of-its-Kind Survey Sheds New Light on Missing Participant Problem

Boston Research Technologies and Retirement Clearinghouse have issued a joint press release announcing the key findings from a first-of-its-kind survey examining the retirement industry’s missing participant problem. The survey is the first to examine the problem from the perspective of the participant, offering unique insights into its various dimensions.

Feb
13
2018

Why We Urgently Need A ‘Sustainable’ 401k Defined Contribution System

In his latest article in 401k Specialist, RCH's Tom Hawkins makes the case for creating a 'sustainable' 401(k) defined contribution system. According to Hawkins, the current 401(k) system is unsustainable due to 1) rampant cashout leakage, 2) an explosion of small-balance accounts and 3) a surge in missing participants. Auto portability, says Hawkins, can address these problems and bring sustainability to our defined contribution system.

Jan
31
2018

RCH in BenefitsPRO: Why CSIRTs are crucial to cybersecurity in the financial industry

In his latest article in BenefitsPRO, RCH Chief Information Officer Mike Goode addresses the critical importance of the Computer Security Incident Response Team, or CSIRT, and advocates for increases coordination of CSIRT teams in the retirement industry.

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