Retirement Income
Employee Financial Wellness
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Print Agenda

Retirement Income Workshop

  1. 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

    Breakfast and Registration

  2. 9:00 – 9:10 a.m.

    Opening Remarks

  3. 9:10 – 10:00 a.m.

    Elements of Retirement Spending and Income
    Hear what research shows about retirement spending. Learn how to help participants determine their spending needs, alert them to health care costs in retirement and educate them about Social Security and Medicare.

    Panelists
    Kevin Crain, Executive Director, Institutional Retirement Income Council
    Marcia Mantell, Owner, Mantell Retirement Consulting, Inc.

  4. 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    Retirement Income Product Landscape
    Experts will define and explain the array of options plan sponsors have for helping participants create income in retirement. They will discuss the requirements for selecting retirement income products and solutions and share tips for making the best choices for participants.

    Moderator
    Chuck Williams, CEO, Finspire

    Panelists
    J. Brian Coleman, VP of Total Rewards, Dawn Foods
    Bruce Lanser, Senior Retirement Plan Consultant, UBS
    Elise Thiemann, CFA, Head of DC Investment Strategy, SSGA
    Marcia Wagner, Founder, The Wagner Law Group

  5. 11:00 – 11:10 a.m.

    Coffee Break

  6. 11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    The Retirement Tier
    A retirement tier is a range of products, solutions (including investments), tools and services to support participants who are near, entering or in retirement. Learn optimal strategies for creating a retirement tier in your retirement program.

    Panelist
    Jason Chepenik, Senior Vice President, OneDigital Financial Services
    Prudential

Employee Financial Wellness Workshop

  1. 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

    Breakfast and Registration

  2. 9:00 – 9:10 a.m.

    Opening Remarks

  3. 9:10 – 10:00 a.m.

    Pillars of Financial Wellness
    Learn how to define financial wellness for your employee base and what options plan sponsors have for offering financial wellness benefits. Hear stories of successful implementation from plan sponsor peers.

    Panelists
    Monica De Agostino, Director – Total Rewards & HRIS, MRIGlobal
    Kelli Send, Co-founder, Senior Vice President – Financial Wellness Services, Francis, LLC
    Lauren Loehning, Co-Founder, Moniwell

  4. 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

    Considering Financial Wellness in Retirement Plan Design
    From features that have been available for years to new plan design options provided by the SECURE 2.0 Act, hear how to optimize your plan design to best meet employees’ financial wellness needs.

    Moderator
    Phil Sherman, Senior Retirement Plan Consultant, Deschutes Investment Consulting LLC

    Panelist
    Kathleen Kelly, Managing Partner, Compass Financial Partners
    Nick Maynard, SVP, Commonwealth
    Fidelity

  5. 11:00 – 11:10 a.m.

    Coffee Break

  6. 11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    How Voluntary Benefits Fit
    From a variety of voluntary benefits, how do you choose what’s on your benefits menu? Learn what others have done.

    Panelist
    Shay Garrioch, Chief Human Resource Officer, The Culinary Institute of America

Day 1

  1. 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

    Lunch and Registration

  2. 1:00 – 1:10 p.m.

    Opening Remarks

  3. 1:10 – 2:00 p.m.

    State of the Retirement Plan Industry
    Representatives from the retirement plan ecosystem talk about developments in the industry, what’s in flux and what the future might hold.

    Panelists
    Bridget Bearden, Research and Development Strategist and member of the leadership team, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
    Andy Banducci, Senior Vice President, Retirement and Compensation Policy, ERISA Industry Committee
    Pam Hess, Executive Director, Retirement Research Center, a DCIIA organization

  4. 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

    SECURE 2.0 Implementation
    Experts will discuss the guidance issued since the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act and what plan sponsors must do to prepare for deadlines and to implement provisions of the sweeping law.

    Panelists
    Kim Cochrane, Director, Client Services, HUB International MidAtlantic
    Mark Iwry, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Visiting Scholar, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
    Rosie Zaklad, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered

  5. 3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

    Coffee Break

  6. 3:15 – 4:15 p.m.

    Creating Committees of Excellence
    Committee setup, governing documents and training. Meeting frequency, topics and documentation. This session will detail it all. Learn how to establish both a committee and procedures to achieve excellent plan governance.

    Panelists
    Alvaro Galvis, Senior Vice President, Senior Retirement Benefits Consultant, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
    Michael Kozemchak, Managing Director, Institutional Investment Consulting
    Viv Hunter Turner, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered

  7. 4:15 – 5:15 p.m.

    Keynote: Bank of America

  8. 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

    Cocktail Reception

  9. 6:30 p.m.

    Excellence in Retirement Awards

Day 2

  1. 7:00 – 8:15 a.m.

    Breakfast

  2. 8:15 – 8:20 a.m.

    Opening Remarks

  3. 8:20 – 9:10 a.m.

    Washington Update
    Experts take a deep dive into the latest retirement plan-related legislation, regulations and litigation, offering practical lessons for plan sponsors.

    Panelists
    Daniel Aronowitz, President, Encore Fiduciary
    George Sepsakos, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered

  4. 9:10 – 10:00 a.m.

    Sponsored Main Stage: Edelman Financial Engines

  5. 10:00 – 10:30 a.m.

    Coffee Break

  6. 10:30 – 11:20 a.m.

    Breakouts

    1. Cleaning Up Your DC Plan
      Maintaining accurate plan documents and participant census data is crucial for the effective administration of retirement plans. Learn optimal practices for retirement plans during mergers and acquisitions, as well as tips for maintaining accuracy when consolidating or changing providers. Attendees will gain insights on how to navigate common challenges, avoid compliance pitfalls and ensure smooth transitions that benefit both plan sponsors and participants.

      Moderator
      Phil Senderowitz, Managing Director, Strategic Retirement Partners

      Panelists
      Jeff Kettwig, Vice President, National Practice Leader, John Hancock
      Lisa K. Loesel, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
      Brent Sheppard, Partner, Financial Advisor, Cadence Financial Management
      Principal

    2. Essential QDIA Considerations
      The plan investment menu should meet the needs of all participants, from younger employees to those nearing or in retirement, as well as those with all levels of investment knowledge. A panel will discuss decisions about qualified default investment alternatives, the use of passive and active funds, managed accounts, hybrid QDIAs, collective investment trusts and more.

      Panelists
      Sean Bjork, President, Bjork Asset Management
      Julie Varga, SVP, Product & Investment Specialist, Morningstar Retirement
      Charles Schwab

    3. DB Plan Maintenance
      Learn how sponsors of DB plans can enhance plan maintenance, plus considerations for including DB plans in the total retirement planning picture.

      Panelist
      Michael Devlin, Principal, BCG Pension Risk Consultants, Inc
      John Lowell, Partner, October Three Consulting

  7. 11:25 – 11:55 a.m.

    Breakouts

    1. Equity in Retirement Benefits
      How to provide retirement and financial wellness programs that benefit all employee groups.

      Panelists
      Liz Aidoo, Financial Planner, Manager of DEI and Spanish Language Services, Francis LLC
      Adelia Soremekun, Senior Director, Total Rewards, The Jackson Laboratory
      T. Rowe Price

    2. Communicating About Investments
      Learn how to give participants a basic understanding of investment options, talk them through market volatility and communicate at key life stages about investment changes.

      Panelists
      The Vanguard Group, Inc.
      American Funds Distributors, Inc/The Capital Group

    3. Fixing Common Mistakes
      Hear the most common mistakes fiduciaries make and the details of programs and fixes that have either been prescribed by the IRS or become best practices. Experts will offer tips and strategies for having a good defense for potential regulator inquiries and litigation.

      Moderator
      Joseph Topp, Senior Vice President – Investment Consulting, Francis LLC

      Panelists
      Jodi Epstein, Partner, Ivin, Phillips & Barker, Chartered
      Julie Doran Stewart, Head of Fiduciary Advisory Services, Sentinel Group

  8. 12:00 – 12:50 p.m.

    Sponsored Workshop #1: Nuveen

  9. 12:50 – 1:50 p.m.

    Lunch

  10. 1:50 – 2:40 p.m.

    Sponsored Main Stage: Allianz

  11. 2:45 – 3:15 p.m.

    Breakouts

    1. The Intersection of Health Care and Retirement
      Studies show that many employees are worried about health and long-term care expenses in retirement. Learn how plan sponsors can help them prepare and educate employees about their savings options.

      Moderator
      Shelly Howard-Horwitz, Managing Director, Retirement, Executive & Employee Benefits, World Investment Advisors

      Panelists
      Sam Moroni, Senior Wealth Strategy Associate, Retirement Plan Consulting, UBS Financial Services
      Greg Puig, Partner & Head of Group Insurance, Sentinel Group
      Fidelity

    2. NQDC Plan Design and Trends
      Offering nonqualified deferred compensation plans to help key employees and executives with financial wellness and retirement savings is gaining traction among employers of all sizes. Hear about trends and optimal plan designs.

      Moderator
      Heather Taylor, Director, Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Strategies, MarshMcLennan Agency

      Panelist
      Rita Fiumara, Senior Retirement Plan Consultant, Senior Institutional Consultant, UBS Financial Services
      Empower

    3. Government and Non-ERISA Plans
      Panelists will discuss the opportunities, unique rules and challenges faced by sponsors of defined contribution plans that are not subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

      Panelist
      Lisa Drake, Retirement Plan Consultant, UBS Financial Services

  12. 3:15 – 3:45 p.m.

    Coffee Break

  13. 3:45 – 4:35 p.m.

    Breakouts

    1. Practical Lessons From Plan Sponsors
      Award-winning plan sponsors share ways they’ve improved their plans and challenges they’ve overcome.

      Panelists
      Allison Wardlaw, Plan Development and Compliance Director, Michigan Office of Retirement Services
      Deanna Allison, Director, Benefits, Well-Being and Financial Programs, Bread Financial

    2. Benchmarking Investments and Fees
      Experts will explain what factors to look at when benchmarking investments, as well as what benchmarks to use to ensure investments are prudent and fees are reasonable.

      Panelists
      Benjamin Grosz, Partner, Ivin, Phillips & Barker, Chartered
      Raul Valdes-Perez, CEO and Co-Founder, OnlyBoth, Inc.
      John Hancock

    3. Applying a Fiduciary Standard to Health Care Benefits
      Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, all plan sponsors are now required to attest that their fees for health care plans are fair and reasonable for services provided. Learn how to apply fiduciary processes and transparency to health care, as you have for your retirement plan.

      Panelists
      Percy Lee, Of Counsel, Ivin, Phillips & Barker, Chartered
      Jacob M. Mattinson, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

  14. 4:40 – 5:30 p.m.

    Sponsored Main Stage: TIAA

  15. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

    Themed Party

Day 3

  1. 7:30 – 8:50 a.m.

    Breakfast

  2. 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

    Plan Sponsor Idea Exchanges

  3. 9:00 – 9:10 a.m.

    Opening Remarks

  4. 9:10 – 10:10 a.m.

    I Survived an Audit
    Hear about the experiences of plan sponsors that have been through IRS or DOL audits.

  5. 10:10 – 10:30 a.m.

    Coffee Break

  6. 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.

    How to Recognize Elder Financial Abuse or Fraud Among Your Employee Base
    What responsibilities do plan sponsors have to protect participant accounts from fraud? As more retirees are leaving their balances in plans, do plan sponsors know how to spot signs of financial abuse? An expert will discuss how to recognize financial abuse or fraud and what to do about it.

  7. 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Insights From PLANSPONSOR’s Participant Survey
    Find out what retirement plan participants and non-participants think, according to findings of the 2024 PLANSPONSOR Participant Survey.

  8. 12:00 p.m.

    To-go lunch