Thought Leadership

Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) is an innovator in the retirement services industry, developing and introducing industry best practices that are moving retirement forward by delivering retirement portability for millions of job-changing Americans. RCH is proud to showcase our thought leadership, as well as other public policy makers and industry leaders whose positions are consistent with our own views and practices.


Apr
05
2021

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.

Mar
17
2021

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.

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.

Oct
06
2020

Alight Solutions Releases New Study on Small-Balance Cashouts

Alight Solutions, a leader in defined contribution plan services, released a new study that addresses the problem of small-balance 401(k) cashouts. The study, The impact of 401(k) cash-outs on retirement income, examines the very high prevalence of small-balance 401(k) cashouts, the low incidence of 401(k) roll-ins and provides illustrations that depict the importance of preserving these small balances for retirement. Finally, the study points to RCH Auto Portability as an important "emerging new tool" in the fight against cashouts, for which Alight is "pleased to be an early adopter."

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.

Feb
06
2020

There Is An Easy Way To Avoid Billions In Lost Retirement Savings

In her latest column for Forbes, Angela Antonelli, executive director of Georgetown University's Center for Retirement Initiatives (CRI), makes clear her advocacy for solving the nation's cashout leakage problem through the application of auto portability. Antonelli, a noted retirement researcher and public policy expert, details the negative societal impact of cashout leakage, before making a strong case for the adoption of auto portability, a solution that she believes will deliver particular benefits to minorities. Antonelli concludes with a clear call to action, stating that "we have a solution and it is time to get it done."

Oct
29
2019

Savings Preservation Working Group Releases Cashout Leakage Study

The Savings Preservation Working Group (SPWG), a DC-based coalition seeking to promote best practice retirement policies, announced the release of its first Issue Brief. Entitled "Cashing Out: The Systemic Impact of Withdrawing Savings Before Retirement" -- the report examines a range of recent research and data to quantify the vast scope of leakage from the defined contribution retirement system, and "represents the most complete review of retirement leakage data to date." Critically, the SPWG analysis determines that cashout leakage amounts to between $60 billion and $105 billion annually, impacting 4.5 to 6.4 million participants. The group's website is located at PreservingSavings.org.


May
09
2019

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."

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