401(k) Specialist Podcast
401(k) Specialist’s new biweekly podcast series “The 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast” provides retirement and 401(k) advisors with tips and strategies to optimize their business and outperform for their clients. High-profile pundits and personalities engage in smart discussions of relevant topics to educate, inform and entertain listeners.
Social Security's Reckoning: Dr. Jason Fichtner Explains What the New Trustees Report Means for 401(k) Savers
The recently released 2026 Social Security Trustees Report once again shortened the timeline for when the trust funds paying out benefits to more than 75 million Americans will become insolvent unless lawmakers finally step in and do something about it.
To find out what the new report really means for workplace retirement plan participants, 401(k) Specialist Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson talks with Jason Fichtner, Ph.D., executive director of the LIMRA Retirement Income Institute and a former acting deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
Fichtner talks us through the underlying issues regarding the program’s looming insolvency, ho...
Attacking the Startup Plan Tax Credit Claiming Problem with Will Hackler
When retirement policymakers sought to incentivize small businesses to begin offering retirement plans in an effort to help close the coverage gap, they did so in part by creating greatly expanded federal tax credits that would offset their cost in providing those plans.
But research has found fewer than 6% of eligible employers are properly claiming the tax credit—and that’s a problem that doesn’t sit well with retirement plan advisor Will Hackler, AIF, the “401(k) Fix-It Guy” who is the Managing Partner at Integrated Pension Services. Hackler says there’s a real awareness problem regarding the tax cred...
Exploring the Target Date Landscape with Mercer’s Preet Prashar
As part of 401(k) Specialist’s Q2 Deep Dive on target-date funds, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with Mercer Director of Defined Contribution Strategic Research Teams Preet Prashar to discuss the rapidly evolving TDF landscape—from market concentration and glidepath design to passive investing, fiduciary concerns, lifetime income solutions, and private assets.
Drawing from Mercer’s recent white paper, “Target Date Landscape: The Evolution of Target Date Strategies and Future Considerations,” Prashar shares key insights plan sponsors and advisors should consider as target-date funds continue to dominate the defined contribution marketplace.
SEE ALSO:
• $4...
The 401k Girls Are Making Financial Planning Actually Fun
In this episode, Jessica Porter and Hayley Porter, financial planners at BPG Wealth Management, speak to 401(k) Specialist about the 401(k) Girls, a financial education platform aiming to make financial wellness accessible and exciting for professionals and their clients.
Jessica and Hayley, who were featured in 401(k) Specialist’s Profiles in Participant Outcomes in 2025, started the 401k Girls in January last year after noticing a need to make retirement and financial planning more approachable to clients online.
The duo—who are not sisters—use social media outlets like LinkedIn and Instagram to provide quick tips and ins...
How GigMatch Creates Retirement Hope: George Fraser
Advisor Insights
Winning the Finalist Presentation: How offering a "Hope-based" engagement model like GigMatch differentiates you from advisors stuck in "Fear-based" messagingReducing Financial Stress for Sponsors: Leveraging the $5/month subscription model as a low-cost, high-impact benefit recommendation for advisors.The "Lifetime Income" Complement: How to use the gig economy to supplement Social Security and 401(k) distributions when the math doesn't quite add up.Strategic Partnerships: Insights into the Tom Kmak (Fiduciary Decisions) algorithm and how institutional-grade data is powering these participant matches.In this episode, industry...
What Participants Really Think with Invesco’s Greg Jenkins
There’s a lot of increased attention about adding private markets investments to 401(k) plans in the wake of President Trump’s 2025 Executive Order on alternatives, and participants are starting to take notice.
Invesco’s recent DC Participant Pulse Survey had some very interesting findings about participant perceptions of private markets, which we explore in this episode with Greg Jenkins, Managing Director, DC Solutions at Invesco. Greg shares insights about participant familiarity with private markets, which types are most interested, and even which words and phrases resonate best with participants.
Check out the research at this l...
Modernizing Retirement Plan Infrastructure with Congruent Solutions’ Mahesh Natarajan
Much of the technology infrastructure that powers the workplace retirement plan industry could use an update to improve on old legacy systems to better serve the needs of today’s 401(k) participants.
To learn more about how and why it needs to evolve, we talk with techno-business leader Mahesh Natarajan, Chief Revenue Officer at Congruent Solutions, which has been a specialist technology solutions and outsourced plan administration provider to the retirement industry since 2004.
We’ll talk about how he sees value in a modular approach to innovation instead of a full technology overhaul, the concept of “...
How Not to Get Sued: Fred Reish on Fiduciary Risk in 2026
In this special edition of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast—part of our Deep Dive series on “How Not to Get Sued”—Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with legendary ERISA attorney Fred Reish to examine how fiduciary risk is evolving in today’s regulatory and litigation environment.
Now serving as Director of Fiduciary and ERISA Practice at Prime Capital Retirement, Reish shares insights on the shifting landscape of ERISA litigation, emerging concerns around private assets in 401(k) plans, and the Department of Labor’s evolving posture under the second Trump administration.
The conversation also explores artificial intelligence...
How Not to Get Sued: Lessons from ERISA Expert Witness Eric Dyson
Eric Dyson, Executive Director of 90 North Consulting and one of the retirement industry’s more active ERISA expert witnesses, joins the 401(k) Specialist Podcast for a practical conversation on how plan sponsors and advisors can reduce fiduciary risk—and be better prepared if the Department of Labor comes calling.
Drawing on his experience testifying in more than a dozen ERISA cases, Dyson shares the most common mistakes he sees in litigation and investigations, why a DOL audit may be a bigger risk than a lawsuit for most plans, and what courts actually expect from fiduciaries. He tackles pres...
What Participants Really Want from Managed Accounts with Fidelity’s Lorianne Pannozzo
As retirement planning strives to become more personalized, plan sponsors are under increasing pressure to offer solutions that meet participants where they are—not just by age or account balance, but by considering their full financial picture. That’s where workplace managed accounts can really make a difference.
Lorianne Pannozzo, Senior Vice President, Personalized Planning & Advice at Fidelity Investments and leader of the firm’s workplace managed accounts program, joins us to explain the increasing demand for managed accounts, and also to dig into new Fidelity research on what participants value most about them and what that means...
Previewing the Nestimate Retirement Income Summit with Kelby Meyers
In the first new 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast episode of 2026, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with Kelby Meyers, founder and CEO of Nestimate, to explore the evolving landscape of in-plan retirement income and the Nestimate Retirement Income Summit.
Meyers discusses the upcoming second annual Nestimate Retirement Income Summit, shares insights on new initiatives at Nestimate—including its recently launched TDF-IQ analytics tool—and weighs in on what the Vanguard-TIAA target-date CIT with a built-in annuity could signal for the future of default investments. The conversation also examines how advisors and plan sponsors can better evaluate lifetime inco...
Measuring Retirement Income Outcomes: Allianz Life’s Danielle Kelso
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America’s latest white paper takes a deep look at how different retirement income strategies—and especially various types of annuity products—can shape participant outcomes in a world of longer lifespans and ongoing market uncertainty.
In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with Danielle Kelso, Senior Institutional Solutions Consultant at Allianz Life, to break down the report’s most compelling findings, the annuity options analyzed, and what the research reveals about improving retirement income security for today’s workers.
• Check out the “...
Glenn Dial of American Century Investments on Why Sponsors and Participants See Retirement Risks So Differently
A recent survey from American Century Investments reveals some surprising disconnects between retirement plan sponsors and the workers participating in their 401(k) plans. The findings uncovered some sizable gaps in how each group views participant preparedness, risk tolerance, and even the basic functionality of common retirement products.
To break down the results of the 12th Annual National Retirement Survey and shed light on what’s behind these disconnects, we welcome Glenn Dial, Senior Retirement Strategist at American Century Investments, who unpacks the data, challenges assumptions, and discusses what plan sponsors may be overlooking when it comes to pa...
Technology and the Future of Retirement Planning with Morningstar Retirement’s Michael Allen
Retirement technology is rapidly transforming the way advisors and plan sponsors deliver planning advice. In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with Michael Allen, Morningstar Retirement’s Global Head of Retirement Technology, to explore how innovation is making retirement advice more personalized, scalable, and impactful.
Allen shares insights on how Morningstar turns ideas into digital solutions, the technologies most likely to redefine the participant experience—like AI, predictive analytics, and behavioral nudges—and how innovation stays grounded in what participants really need.
Key Insights:
AI boo...
Technology and the Small Plan Market with 401GO’s Sue Hardy and Cheryl Morrison Deutsch
Technology is transforming the small-plan retirement market—and fast. In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, we sit down with Sue Hardy, Head of Plan Operations at Sandy, Utah-based 401GO, and Cheryl Morrison Deutsch, the company’s Chief Experience Officer, to explore how modern automation, integration, and design thinking are helping small businesses launch and manage 401(k) plans more efficiently than ever before.
Key Insights
Driving Financial Equity Through Innovation
By integrating advanced features like real-time plan customization and scalable support tools, 401GO aims...
Private Markets and 401(k)s: Invesco’s Greg Jenkins on What Comes Next
Private markets are trying to make a move from the margins to the mainstream in workplace retirement plans—and the implications could be enormous. In this episode, we sit down with Greg Jenkins, CFA, Managing Director of Defined Contribution Solutions at Invesco to explore what this potential shift could mean for advisors, plan sponsors, and participants alike.
Jenkins, who works with plan sponsors, consultants and advisors on DC-related products and custom applications, shares his thoughts on the shifting regulatory environment, interest levels among plan sponsors, different types of private market investments being considered, how they could help wi...
Challenging Common Beliefs About Automated Plan Features with Principal Financial Group’s Marc Howell and Felix Okwaning
Automated plan features in 401(k)s such as auto-enrollment and auto-escalation have become essential tools for boosting employee participation and contribution levels.
Marc Howell and Felix Okwaning, who are both Managing Directors—Enhanced Plan Design at Principal Financial GroupⓇ, share some compelling new research showing employees not only stay in auto features but increasingly expect them, explore budget-friendly strategies to implement them, and discuss how failing to act can create costly delayed retirements. We’ll also cover how SECURE 2.0 is accelerating adoption of automation, and why advisors and sponsors should prepare for auto features to become standard in eve...
Managing Market Value Adjustments with Lincoln Financial’s Bill McLaren
In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, we dive into the complex world of Market Value Adjustments (MVAs)—what they are, when they’re triggered, how they’re calculated, and why they matter.
Bill McLaren, Stable Value Business Leader for the Retirement Plan Services Business at Lincoln Financial, joins us to explain why MVAs can catch plan sponsors off guard—especially during a recordkeeper change—and what advisors can do to protect participants.
Find out more about stable value investment only solutions.
Key Insights
MVAs Can Surprise Plan Spons...
Private Equity’s Potential to Help 401(k) Participants with Maura Reilly Kennedy and Michelle Rappa
Even with regulatory barriers to including alternative assets such as private equity in defined contribution plans being removed by the Trump administration, many advisors, plan sponsors and fiduciaries are understandably hesitant to jump in.
To get a better idea of what private equity investments can bring to the table, we speak with Maura Reilly Kennedy and Michelle Rappa of investment manager Neuberger Berman, a pair of highly accomplished subject matter experts when it comes to private equity and its defined contribution investment capabilities.
Reilly Kennedy and Rappa talk through some innovative structures seeking to make...
Stable Value Funds: Balancing Safety and Opportunity with Lincoln Financial’s Matt Condos
Stable value funds are a staple in many 401(k) plans, offering principal protection and steady returns by investing in high-quality bonds. They’re particularly popular with participants nearing retirement who want to reduce market risk while still earning a competitive yield. But recent market conditions and interest rate changes have raised new considerations for these low-risk options.
In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, Matt Condos, Senior Vice President of Retirement Plan Services Product Solutions at Lincoln Financial, provides insights on stable value’s role in today’s retirement landscape, how it compares to money...
Defining Value Creation in the Decumulation Phase with Allianz Life's Danielle Kelso
As retirement plan participants transition from the accumulation phase to decumulation, the focus moves from building wealth to ensuring sustainable income—what’s also known as "value creation."
Danielle Kelso, Senior Institutional Solutions Consultant at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, joins the 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast to shed light on the changes and innovations shaping the future of retirement security. In her role, Kelso provides research, analytics and product expertise to the Allianz sales team, and shares her expertise on what retirement plan advisors and plan sponsors need to be thinking about when it come...
Previewing SWAY | LIVE 2025 with Sheri Fitts
The third edition of the retirement industry’s least traditional conference is coming up Aug. 3–5 in Milwaukee, Wis. To get the low-down, we spoke with organizer Sheri Fitts, a well-known expert in personal branding for financial advisors and 401(k) marketing. Audio here
Sheri explains what sets the conference apart. It focuses on helping attendees strengthen their personal brand through storytelling and human connection. Additionally, she highlights key agenda items and explains why the event welcomes a broad mix of professionals.
For more information about SWAY | LIVE, check out the event website here: https://swaylive.sherifitts.com/S...
Knut A. Rostad: Why EBSA Crypto Guidance Reversal is 'Absolutely Awful Decision'
Recently the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration announced that it has rescinded its 2022 guidance that discouraged retirement plan fiduciaries from including cryptocurrency investments in 401(k) plans.
The move is seen as a removal of a big regulatory roadblock that forced plan fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” before adding crypto to 401(k) investment menus, in line with the Trump administration’s expressed desire to eliminate what it sees as regulatory overreach and that investment decisions should be made by fiduciaries, and not D.C. bureaucrats.
Knut A. Rostad, Co-Founder and President of the Inst...
Unlocking SMB Market Success with 401GO’s Stan Smith
One of the most promising—and rapidly evolving—segments of the retirement plan industry is the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) market. With a wave of government incentives and employee expectations for workplace benefits on the rise, the time is ripe for innovation and growth.
To help unpack the challenges and opportunities in serving this critical market, we’re joined by Stan Smith, Chief of Growth at 401GO, a digital-first recordkeeper focused on making 401(k) plans more accessible and scalable for smaller employers.
Smith shares his front-line insights on what’s driving critical change in the reti...
Exploring Guaranteed Income in DC Plan Trends with Allianz Life’s Matt Stubblefield
The integration of guaranteed lifetime income solutions into workplace retirement plans remains a hot topic among plan advisors, sponsors and participants. To get an idea of the current state of these efforts, we talk with Matt Stubblefield, Aggregator Channel Director at Allianz, who highlights some key findings from a new report by the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement, part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.
The report that examines participant attitudes, preferences and demand for annuities in defined contribution retirement plans, and Stubblefield will share ideas on how plan advisors can put these...
Creating the 'Next-Gen 401(k) Report' with KWP Growth Partners’ Will Prest and Lisa Kottler
The inaugural "Next-Gen 401(k) Report" from KWP Growth Partners is being released on April 8, unveiling a dozen transformative trends that are shaping the future of retirement plans, putting the spotlight on 60 leading digital-forward companies that are driving innovation in the workplace retirement plan space.
Will Prest, Managing Partner for KWP Growth Partners and Lisa Kottler, KWP’s Partner of Strategic Growth and Innovation, join this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast to discuss the new report and what makes it a valuable new resource for firms throughout the workplace retirement plan ecosystem.
Key Insights...
Large-Cap Value Investing in 401(k) Plans with Invesco’s Devin Armstrong
In this episode, we explore how large-cap value investing fits into a well-structured 401(k) plan investment menu with the help of Devin Armstrong, co-lead manager of the Invesco Comstock Fund, who is Senior Portfolio Manager and Director of U.S. Value Research at Invesco.
With market uncertainty and shifting economic conditions, value investing remains a compelling strategy for long-term retirement savers. Armstrong breaks down why large-cap value stocks help to diversify 401(k) plan holdings, and walks us through the team’s unique contrarian approach and classic value investing techniques that distinguish the Invesco Comstock Fund.
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Taking the Reins at Viking Cove Institute: New President Amy Glynn
It was announced at the start of the recent Viking Cove Institute 2025 Industry Leaders Summit that well-known retirement industry veteran Amy Glynn would be taking the reins as President at the unique independent organization that boasts a membership of over 600 advisors across roughly 200 firms.
Glynn joins the 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast to talk about the transition, the recent summit, why advisors need independent guidance, and some key new initiatives set to roll out this year at Viking Cove.
Key Insights:
Industry Leadership Shift at Viking Cove Institute
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401(k) Forfeiture Lawsuits and SECURE 2.0 compliance with Richard Clarke
The “flavor of the month” in retirement plan ERISA lawsuits seems to be 401(k) forfeiture reallocation cases, where employers are accused of using forfeited funds to benefit the company instead of plan participants.
Richard Clarke, Chief Insurance Officer at Colonial Surety Company, a leading direct seller and writer of surety bonds, joins the 401(k) Specialist Podcast to address why plan sponsors need to remain vigilant and have the proper guardrails in place to mitigate the risk of a costly lawsuit.
He’ll also talk about some of the new SECURE 2.0 provisions and how plan sponsors can sa...
Holly Knight’s High-Profile Move to Alera Group
High-profile retirement plan advisor Holly Knight joins the 401(k) Specialist Podcast in this episode to discuss her recent move from NFP to Alera Group, where she is in the newly created role of “Director of Retirement Advisor Services.”
Knight explains the rationale behind the move and why she believes the young and growing company is uniquely positioned to deliver true financial integration for its clients, and how she plans to tackle the task of building scalable infrastructure.
Key Insights:
Financial Wellness Integration: Holly Knight emphasizes embedding financial wellness into benefits, reti...Protecting the Rights of Retirement Investors with ICI Leader Eric J. Pan
A second Trump Administration, coupled with new leadership at the SEC and Department of Labor, brings the potential for significant changes in the regulatory environment in Washington, including discussions that could impact retirement tax incentives and their role in encouraging long-term savings.
For insight on what this could mean when it comes to the retirement industry, we check in with Eric J. Pan, President and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Investment Company Institute. ICI is the leading association representing the interests of regulated funds and the more than 120 million Americans who depend on them to...
Andrew Biggs Rips Congress for Social Security 'Fairness' Act
The Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Jan. 6 thanks to strong bipartisan support. The intent was to provide greater retirement security and “fairness” to people who have dedicated their careers to public service, with bill supporters saying the old law unfairly stripped many low-income government and public workers of the benefits they deserve.
But did they get it wrong? Andrew G. Biggs, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a nationally recognized expert on retirement issues and Social Security policy, makes a compelling argument for why the Soci...
4 DC Trends to Watch for in 2025 with Vanguard’s Jeff Clark
With the new year quickly approaching, it’s a good time to think about some of the key trends to watch out for in 2025. Vanguard Head of Defined Contribution Research Jeff Clark—who is the author of the company’s popular “How America Saves” research—joins the 401(k) Specialist Podcast to talk about four 2025 retirement trends he anticipates will impact the workplace retirement plan market next year. podcast here
Clark covers growing Roth contribution options, increases in auto enrollment, why to expect a broader focus on financial wellness, and continued momentum for in-plan lifetime income options.
How to Better Reach 401(k) Participants with Invesco's Greg Jenkins
t’s always important for retirement plan advisors to know the primary concerns and interests of 401(k) participants in order to be able to communicate with them effectively.
Invesco recently conducted some new research on the mindset of participants, and in this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast, we talk with Greg Jenkins, Managing Director and Head of Institutional Defined Contribution at Invesco, who shares some surprising findings uncovered by the new research, and what advisors can learn from it.
Key Insights:
Participants’ Financial Concerns: Inflation, rising costs, and...How Company Mergers Affect Retirement Plans with Inspira’s Pete Welsh
In this episode, we sit down with Pete Welsh, Managing Director of Retirement and Wealth at Inspira Financial, to explore the complexities of company mergers and their impact on retirement plans.
Welsh sheds light on what happens when businesses with different retirement plans merge, outlining key outcomes and compliance concerns. He also provides expert guidance on plan terminations and offers insights into how companies can navigate these intricate processes while staying compliant with federal regulations.
Opportunity in the SMB Market with Principal Financial Group’s Sean Jordan
The small to mid-size business retirement plan market is a key growth opportunity for advisors who are looking to expand their client base and provide much-needed benefit solutions to a traditionally underserved segment.
With all the new tax incentives for startup plans and state mandates to either offer a plan or have employees opted-in to a state-run auto-IRA program, the time has never been better to get smaller businesses on board with starting a plan—which can lead to additional opportunities on the wealth management side.
To learn more about the SMB market, we’re join...
The Road to Better Retirement Outcomes with MFS' Jeri Savage
In this episode of the 401(k) Specialist Podcast, we’ll travel down the road to better participant outcomes with MFS Investment Management’s Jeri Savage, who will direct us through the key insights from the newly released 2024 MFS Global Retirement Survey. Podcast Episode Player
Savage, Lead Retirement Strategist at Boston-based MFS, elaborates on some of the most impactful findings and explores how advisors and plan sponsors can help participants prioritize savings, improve retirement readiness, and navigate the complexities of target date funds.
Key Insights:
Target Date Fund Misunderstandings: Addressing misco...
Highlighting Fixed Income Opportunities with Invesco’s Matt Brill
Since the rapid rise in interest rates over the past few years, fixed income has come back into the spotlight. As the Federal Reserve begins cutting interest rates, retirement plan advisors might now be wondering how this shift will impact core bond and core plus bond portfolios.
To find out, we speak with Matt Brill, CFA, Head of North America Investment Grade Credit and Senior Portfolio Manager for Invesco Fixed Income. He’ll walk us through the basics of core bond and core plus bond portfolios, how the Fed’s intended “soft landing” will impact these sectors, and also...
Solving the Portability Puzzle with Allianz Life’s Ben Thomason
Considerable resources have been devoted to solving the challenge of portability in retirement savings over the past few years, and the stakes are high to get it right and cut down on costly an unnecessary retirement plan leakage.
In this episode, we talk with Ben Thomason, Head of Defined Contribution Distribution at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, to explore the importance of portability and the unique challenges it poses when it comes to in-plan guaranteed lifetime income solutions.
Thomason dives into the complexities of why portability matters for participants, preserving benefits, maintaining guarantees...
Fiduciary Rule Update and ERISA at 50 with Lathrop GPM’s Allie Itami
ERISA attorney Allie Itami, Partner at Lathrop GPM in Minneapolis, joins the 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast to talk about the status of the Department of Labor’s beleaguered fiduciary rule in light of recent stay rulings in Texas, and also chimes in on ERISA at 50 before addressing compliance challenges presented by annuities in 401(k) plans.
And click here to check out a recent blog post from Itami about ERISA’s 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated with a gala event in Washington D.C. on Sept. 12.
Itami is a partner in Lathrop GPM’s Busine...
