Auto Portability - Public Policy
Learn more about retirement savings public policy positions related to Auto Portability.
BET Founder Bob Johnson Applauds Administration For 401(k) Auto Portability Program
RealClear Politics' Ian Schwartz covers the 12/12/18 White House event marking the establishment of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, and focuses specifically on remarks made by the RLJ Companies founder and Retirement Clearinghouse majority owner Robert L. Johnson. In his remarks, Mr. Johnson thanks the administration for the Department of Labor's recent actions on Auto Portability, noting that the auto portability program could result in "close to $800 billion" in incremental retirement savings for minority Americans.
WhiteHouse.Gov: EO on White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Features Auto Portability
On 12/12/18, President Donald J.
Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Opportunity and
Revitalization Council, intended to facilitate long-term equity investments in
low-income communities designated as "qualified opportunity
zones." Among the distinguished guests at the event was entrepreneur
Robert L. Johnson, founder of the RLJ Companies and majority owner of
Retirement Clearinghouse. Mr. Johnson took the opportunity to
congratulate the administration and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) for their role in the
Department of Labor's recent Advisory Opinion on auto portability, noting that
auto portability will preserve $800 billion in minorities' retirement savings.
Video available on YouTube's White House channel here (queued to start at the President's introduction of Mr. Johnson)
MarketWatch: Combining small 401(k) accounts helps preserve retirement saving
In her 12/4/18 article in MarketWatch, noted economist and retirement researcher Alicia H. Munnell applauds the Department of Labor's favorable actions toward the RCH auto portability program. Munnell highlights the dilemma facing millions of Americans each year, who leave their jobs and cash out their retirement savings, and cites the ongoing efforts by RCH's Spencer Williams and Tom Johnson in crafting the solution, auto portability. Munnell aptly characterizes auto portability's recent progress as being "so lovely to see a win for the 401(k) system."
Also featured in Morningstar News (link)
The Hill: Labor Department rightly trying to plug pension portability leaks
In his 11/19/18 opinion piece in The Hill, former U.S Treasury official and senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institution Mark Iwry writes about his personal, 22-years long advocacy for 401(k) portability, dating back to the Clinton administration. Not much had changed in that time, says Iwry, until last week's guidance by the Department of Labor (DOL) on auto portability, led by the efforts of RCH executives Spencer Williams and Tom Johnson. With the way cleared by the DOL, Iwry notes that auto portability's success will now depend on the "willingness of recordkeepers...to cooperate so participants can enjoy expanded portability."
Wall Street Journal: Labor Department Clears Path for Automatic 401(k) Transfers
In her 11/12/18 article in The Wall Street Journal, reporter Anne Tergesen addresses the pair of recent DOL actions that give Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) a green light to move forward with its auto portability program. In support of the DOL's actions, Tergesen cites industry statistics on 401(k) leakage for job-changing participants, quoting industry figures from Morningstar, Boston College's Center for Retirement Research and former U.S. Treasury official Mark Iwry. Tergesen turns to RCH Chief Executive Spencer Williams, who addresses RCH's objectives in obtaining DOL guidance, as well as RCH's views on the benefits of the auto portability program.
Department of Labor Issues Auto Portability Advisory Opinion
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued Advisory Opinion 2018-01A on RCH Auto Portability, which can be accessed on the DOL’s website at this link. The DOL’s Advisory Opinion states that defined contribution plan sponsors who accept automatic rollover contributions under auto portability will not be a fiduciary with respect to those contributions. This fiduciary “safe harbor” represents an important step to facilitate auto portability’s widespread adoption by plan sponsors, as well as their recordkeepers.
PRESS RELEASE - Robert L. Johnson Welcomes Department of Labor’s Advisory Opinion on Auto Portability
Robert L. Johnson, Founder and Chairman of The RLJ Companies and majority owner of Retirement Clearinghouse, applauds the U.S. Department of Labor for providing guidance to retirement plan sponsors, clearing the path to widespread adoption of auto portability and enabling millions of Americans to effortlessly preserve their hard-earned retirement savings as they change jobs.
RCH in BenefitsPRO: Pairing Savings Preservation with Expanded Access for Minorities
In their October 11, 2018 article in BenefitsPRO, RCH's Spencer Williams and Tom Hawkins address an important retirement public policy question: How would a pairing of auto portability with open multiple employer plans (or “open MEPs”) impact the retirement savings of America’s minorities, and particularly, African-Americans? The RCH analysis found that expanded access initiatives, such as open MEPs, could serve as a catalyst to increase minority participation in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, but could fall short in preserving minorities' retirement savings. When combined with auto portability, open MEPs could generate far more wealth at retirement, and deliver greater retirement security for minorities.
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