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John Ortman
By John Ortman | 2/13/2014
When it comes to how plan sponsors and participants view participants’ “customer experience,” there are far more differences than similarities, Warren Cormier notes in his column in the most recent issue of NAPA Net the Magazine.The main driver of differences in customer satisfaction, Cormier...
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By John Ortman | 2/6/2014
Positive, material changes in participant outcomes will only occur if plan sponsors recognize their stewardship responsibilities. And they’re looking for a leader to show them the way, Don Trone notes in his most recent column in NAPA Net the Magazine. Trone is the president of the Leadership...
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By John Ortman | 2/6/2014
The application window for the 2014 NAPA DC Fly-In Forum is now open. Applications from qualified plan advisors to attend this year’s Fly-In Forum will be accepted until the limit on Forum delegates is reached — so don’t delay. This year’s Fly-In is set for Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. To...
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By John Ortman | 1/31/2014
With the equity markets reaching new highs, participants in 401(k) plans are still unprotected from significant market drops. The majority of target date funds used in plans today are not designed to protect participants from bear markets or potential losses in fixed income that could accompany a...
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By John Ortman | 1/30/2014
Most plan sponsors are reluctant to make a change in their plan if nothing is broken internally. In the absence of some significant pain being experienced, management will normally assume that no change is warranted. Few plan sponsors are able to envision the team requirements that are necessary to...
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By John Ortman | 1/29/2014
The latest addition to the NAPA 401(k) Summit agenda promises to attract a full house: a point-counterpoint session featuring NAPA Executive Director/CEO Brian Graff and economics professor Teresa Ghilarducci. This year’s 401(k) Summit is set for March 23-25 in New Orleans. Ghilarducci, an...
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By John Ortman | 1/17/2014
The Daily will not publish on Monday as we observe Martin Luther King Day. There will be about 72 hours in the long weekend. Take half an hour to reacquaint yourself with the intellect and righteousness of Dr. King, one of America’s true giants:• watch his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on...
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By John Ortman | 1/17/2014
Could the process of fund selection and oversight, along with advisors’ thirst to acquire more clients in an increasingly competitive marketplace, actually worsen participant outcomes by causing feckless, short-sighted fund changes in retirement plans? Has open architecture, in spite of its many...
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By John Ortman | 1/14/2014
ING U.S. announced details Jan. 13 of the firm’s transition to Voya Financial later this year. The various ING U.S. businesses and legal entities plan to complete their transition to Voya on the following schedule:• April 7, 2014 — ING U.S., Inc., ING U.S.'s publicly listed holding company, plans...
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By John Ortman | 1/10/2014
In an industry created by — and sometimes burdened by — rules and regulations, most people and companies in the defined contribution market are just trying to improve the current system. When it comes to innovation, the industry struggles. Yet innovation still seems to be the door that everyone is...
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By John Ortman | 1/7/2014
Financial advisors have yet to coalesce around a common methodology or set of products for generating retirement income for their retiree clients, making it more challenging for fund companies and annuity providers to leverage this market. Given today’s low interest rate environment, most advisors...
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By John Ortman | 1/6/2014
Morningstar announced the nominees for its 2013 U.S. Fund Manager of the Year awards on Jan. 6. Nominees are selected in five strategies: domestic stock, international stock, fixed income, alternatives and allocation. The nominees are:Domestic Stock Funds • William Martindale and Robert Mitchell,...
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By John Ortman | 1/3/2014
The John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index moved upward slightly in the fourth quarter of 2013, from +20 to +22, as investors grew increasingly positive toward investing in equities. The Index ended 2013 four points higher than the fourth quarter of 2012 and seven points higher than the same period...
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By John Ortman | 1/3/2014
People who make a living serving the DC market should be forgiven if sometimes they feel like one of those cowboys in an old Western, when the bad guy yells, "Dance, Podner!"and the bullets fly every which way. Getting shot at comes with the territory, it seems. In that vein, Ascensus’ Todd...
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By John Ortman | 1/2/2014
Labor Secretary Tom Perez has been lobbying Democrats in Congress lately, advocating for the redefinition of fiduciary rule (now referred to as the “conflict of interest rule” by DOL officials) promulgated by his department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, InvestmentNews reports.Over...
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By John Ortman | 12/30/2013
This has proved to be a record-breaking year for pension risk transactions in the U.K., a development that some experts are viewing as the beginning of a trend. Spurred by three companies that recently unloaded a combined £5.3 billion ($8.7 billion) in longevity risk from their pension funds, the...
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By John Ortman | 12/30/2013
Financial advisors are upbeat as the new year draws near, expecting 2013’s bull market to continue in 2014. A huge proportion see good times ahead, according to a survey of 800 advisors conducted by the SEI Advisor Network, a provider of outsourced asset management and practice management programs....
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By John Ortman | 12/30/2013
Look for your next issue of the Daily on Friday, Jan. 3. 'Till then, we wish you a Happy New Year!
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By John Ortman | 12/30/2013
With $18 billion in AUM and robust existing infrastructure including personnel, expertise and technology, Edelman Financial Services’ “Edelman Online” service has a leg up on the competition in the crowded online advice marketplace. “The technology has evolved to the point where we can effectively...
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By John Ortman | 12/30/2013
Bouyed by the post-crisis bull market, brand preference among advisors and some tweaks made along the way, things are starting to look up for American Funds, InvestmentNews reported recently.In the five years since the financial crisis began, the firm saw nearly $250 billion in net withdrawals,...
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