Nevin's Data "Points"

One of the first things you learn in any kind of ERISA primer is that, as a fiduciary, you are expected to conduct yourself either as if you are an expert, or hire someone to help you who is. This so-called “prudent expert” rule is, of course, a significantly higher standard than the one applied to mere common- law fiduciaries—in fact, it is generally described as the highest legal standard. Of course, plan sponsors have long relied on the help of experts—attorneys, third-party administrators, investment managers, and recordkeepers—if only because so much of what a plan sponsor must do in operating their retirement program requires their active involvement. Not so retirement plan advisers, who, for many plan sponsors, remain something of an optional enhancement to their program. That said, in an environment that remains a legislative, regulatory, and operational thicket for even the most active and engaged plan sponsor, it is a plan option that is rapidly becoming standard equipmen...

Believe it or not, PLANADVISER Magazine is five years old this year. As such, we wanted to commemorate our fifth anniversary by recognizing as “legends” five individuals who had made a “significant personal impact to the retirement plan industry and the advisers who support it”. Now, perhaps you think that would be easy—but I can promise you it’s harder than it looks. And over the past several weeks we have gone through our list—moving some off, bringing others on, and “sleeping on it” more nights than you might think. First off, we limited the list to five individuals (for five years), and we also tried to focus in on the past five years. Limiting the list to five was hard enough (certainly once we got started), but trying to focus in on the period since we launched the magazine created an even more daunting task. Sure, it was “only” five years ago, but it’s amazing how much has happened during that time. That was the year the Pension Protection Act was signed into law, after all,...

With our PLANADVISER National Conference just one week away, I found myself turning back to my notes from the PLANSPONSOR National Conference in June. Some of these came from presentations, others originated from the audience, and still others arose in the dozens of side conversations at breaks and such in between the official conference sessions. Some, honestly, are something of a synergy among the three. See if they don’t get YOU thinking… You may not be responsible for the outcomes of your retirement plan designs, but someone should be. How you spend your weekend is a microcosm of retirement. “Free money” isn’t. Retirement income is a lot less of a problem when you have saved a pile of money. You can lead a horse to water, after all—but you can’t make him think. No one expects taxes to be lower in retirement any more. Auto-enrollment is still viewed as a very paternalistic type of event. When it comes to fee comparisons, eventually there will be better sources of information, b...

Next week we will launch our eighth annual search for the nation’s best retirement plan advisers. Each year, we receive a number of inquiries from advisers about the awards, many that fall into a category I tend to think of as “exploratory”—feelers as to what we are looking for. Well, at its core, what we hope to acknowledge—and, thus, what we are looking for—hasn’t changed at all from when we first launched the award in 2005: advisers who make a difference by enhancing the nation’s retirement security, through their support of plan sponsor and plan participant information, support, and education. And, since its inception, we’ve focused on advisers who do so through quantifiable measures: increased participation, higher deferral rates, better plan and participant asset allocation, and delivering expanded service and/or better expense management. Now, we’ve always tried to be very transparent about the award, and the process that underlies the selection. That said, I know that some ...