Thought Leadership

DB vs DC Outcomes Determined by Generosity, Design

Examining the 2/7/19 EBRI Research Brief comparing DB vs. DC plans, PlanAdviser's John Manganaro cites the study as finding that DB break-even accrual rates required for equivalency to their 401(k) counterparts are "rarely less than 1.5% of final pay." Under a scenario where auto portability is combined with the 401(k) plans, the DB break-even accrual rates increase further to deliver equivalency, with auto portability's impact "greatest among the lowest income quartile."

PLANSPONSOR: Groom's Saxon Welcomes DOL's Auto Portability Guidance

In the January 2019 edition of PLANSPONSOR magazine, Groom Law Group's Stephen Saxon welcomes the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) November 2018 guidance on the RCH auto portability program. The DOL, says Saxon, "clarifies important questions about the fiduciary implications for plan sponsors" and provides "much welcome comfort" to plan fiduciaries considering the program. Saxon concludes his analysis by stating that "auto-portability will have a positive, long-term impact on the U.S. retirement system by reducing leakage and enabling American workers to consolidate their small retirement balances on an efficient basis."

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Michael Barry Gives DOL an 'A' on Auto Portability

In his ongoing "Barry's Pickings" column for PLANSPONSOR, Michael Barry, president of O3 Plan Advisory Services LLC, gives the U.S. Department of Labor an 'A' for its November 2018 issuance of a proposed Prohibited Transaction Exemption (PTE) and an Advisory Opinion on Auto Portability. Barry adds: "as a long-time advocate of the establishment of a clearinghouse, I view this as very good news."

DOL Auto-Portability Approval May Ease Rollovers, Reduce Missing Participants

Arris Reddick Murphy, Contributing Editor to HR Daily Advisor, and senior counsel with FedEx Corp.’s Tax & Employee Benefits Law group, examines the potential impact of the Department of Labor's recent actions towards RCH's auto portability program. Murphy outlines the strategic benefits for plan sponsors who participate in the auto portability program, including a reduction in small accounts, missing participants and uncashed checks. Murphy also points out the importance of participation of both plan sponsors and service providers, stepping through various aspects of the program, while offering planning tips for participating plan sponsors.

The Hill: Labor Department rightly trying to plug pension portability leaks

In his 11/19/18 opinion piece in The Hill, former U.S Treasury official and senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution Mark Iwry writes about his personal, 22-years long advocacy for 401(k) portability, dating back to the Clinton administration. Not much had changed in that time, says Iwry, until last week's guidance by the Department of Labor (DOL) on auto portability, led by the efforts of RCH executives Spencer Williams and Tom Johnson. With the way cleared by the DOL, Iwry notes that auto portability's success will now depend on the "willingness of recordkeepers...to cooperate so participants can enjoy expanded portability."

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?

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.

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.