Nevin's Data "Points"

  Last year, we took some family to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains in search of a waterfall of note — one that the guidebooks said was “readily accessible.”  That said, it took longer than we thought — we’d come up around a curve on the mountain trail, sure that it would be right there —– only to find (just) another curve. As we crossed folks coming back down from the falls, we’d (breathlessly) ask — “how much further is it?” — and while the responses were varied in terms of their accuracy and descriptive depth, they all added “it’s worth it.”  And you know what? It was.   Well, believe it or not, we’re nearing another kind of summit; a week from today we’ll be about halfway through the 2025 NAPA 401(k) Summit. It’s later than “normal” this year — and it’s been a long-time coming. Indeed, your Summit Steering committee has spent nearly a year putting this all together — leveraging YOUR input on topics, each has aligned themselves with a specific workshop — lit...

One of my favorite parts of the NAPA 401(k) Summit is a comprehensive annual survey we do of advisors in attendance at the Summit I call the Summit Insider . It’s a unique opportunity to get the perspective of hundreds of retirement plan-focused advisors in a unique window of time. A chance, if you will, to see what’s on the collective minds of a very special group of individuals. Like the networking experience of the Summit itself, it’s a chance to see what is actually on the minds and driving forces for the nation’s leading advisors. Sometimes it’s a validation—sometimes a repudiation—but it’s always insightful, all the more so in view of this year’s (record-breaking) response to the Summit Insider questionnaire. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve shared some insights in the NAPA-Net daily—but if you’re looking for a quick sense of the advisor perspective(s) on business practices, industry trends, team building, or future focus—well, here you go: There have been BIG...