Break from the Grind November 27, 2017

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: What Were Colonists Protesting With the Boston Tea Party?

You may have thought that colonists participating in the Boston Tea Party were protesting taxes the British enforced on tea, but that is not the case.
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What were colonists protesting with the Boston Tea Party?

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Tea was at first heavily taxed by the British, but the columnists circumvented this tax by buying less expensive, smuggled Dutch Tea. This resulted in an abundance of surplus tea for the British.

To encourage colonists to buy its tea, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which eliminated all duties on British tea and priced it below the cost of the Dutch tea.

Despite this, many colonists resented British involvement in what they regarded as the American (not British) economy, so they refused to allow the unloading of British tea.

Then, on December 16, 1773, about 60 men, dressed as American Indians, dumped the cargo of tea from three British ships into Boston Harbor.
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Products November 27, 2017

Ascensus Enhances Digital Experience for TPAs

“TPAs play a vital role in the management of their clients’ retirement plans, and we want to make certain that they have the tools that they need to provide the best level of service possible,” says Steve Schweitzer with Ascensus.

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Ascensus has launched an enhanced digital experience for third-party administrators (TPAs) that use its recordkeeping platform via a refreshed, web-based plan management dashboard.

Designed with input gathered directly from the TPA community—along with guidance from partners that work with TPAs (Mutual of Omaha and Vanguard)—the tool offers simple navigation and easy access to resources that can help TPAs better manage their plans so that they can devote more time to building their businesses.

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Ascensus, which currently partners with more than 1,000 TPAs across approximately 6,500 plans on its recordkeeping platform, surveyed TPAs to understand their needs and how they want to use online resources.  Responses indicated that there were several areas of interest that TPAs prefer to find quickly, all of which have been enhanced within the updated dashboard’s navigation toolbar for ease of access. Ascensus also focused on making it simpler for TPAs to view their book of business with the firm in one location.

“The refreshed TPA dashboard—along with the plan and employee websites that were updated earlier in the year—is simple by design in order to provide user experiences that make plan management and saving for the future as straightforward as possible,” says Shannon Kelly, Ascensus’ president of retirement.

“TPAs play a vital role in the management of their clients’ retirement plans, and we want to make certain that they have the tools that they need to provide the best level of service possible,” says Steve Schweitzer, Ascensus’ senior vice president of marketing, product, and digital. “The enhancements to the TPA dashboard reaffirm Ascensus’ commitment to TPAs and the important work that they do to help their clients save for the future.”

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