After all the preparation, planning, travel, and travails, the 2024 National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) 401(k) Summit will start Sunday afternoon in Music City.
The Summit, the largest ever with a record-setting 2,800 advisors and exhibitors, promises discussions of retirement plan policy, product, and practice management, among other topics, during the almost 60 sessions, keynotes, presentations, and demonstrations over a three-day period.
We’ll kick things off with a bang, providing you with unique insights and perspectives into the legislative and regulatory environment that will shape your practice—and your practices—in the years ahead.
Highlights on Day One include American Retirement Association (ARA) CEO Brian Graff’s popular “From the Hill to the Summit,” an insider’s view of all that’s happening inside the Beltway, which has major implications for retirement plan advisors and the tens of millions of American workers they serve.
It starts strong as attendees hear directly from current Lisa Gomez, the Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for EBSA. She and Graff will discuss current regulations, what might be over the horizon, and how they impact advisors and their clients.
Former EBSA Head Preston Rutledge, Jamie Cummins, Senior Tax Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee, and Shannon Finley, Partner at Capitol Counsel, join Brian to break down what was said and what it means for the industry moving forward.
“New Rules for a New World” will take place later Sunday afternoon, in which Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, a “global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century,” describes the post-pandemic Brave New World, one in which he claims we’re likely to experience century’s worth of change in the months and years ahead.
“We are already living in this new world, one set to change the very dynamic of human interaction both within and outside the workplace,” Lee says. “Not every organization will make it, but those that do will never be the same again. And for leaders, now more than ever, it is a time to upgrade their capabilities, embrace new technologies, and reimagine what they do.”
He’ll provide insights into the organizations and leaders already successfully navigating this period of change and how to create a playbook for your transformation to become “future-proof.”
The workshops include comparing retirement income solutions with Tom Clark of Wagner Law Group, Matthew Eickman of Qualified Plan Advisors, and Stacey Tovrov of BlackRock.
Gallagher’s John Jurik, Transamerica’s Stanley Kim, The Standard’s Ted Schmelzle, and Strategic Retirement Partners’ Phillip Senderowitz tackle PEP’s Good, the Bad, and Ugly.”
Bank of America’s Julianne Donatelli and Oliver Hannay join J.P. Morgan’s Brant Wong to discuss—what else? —artificial intelligence and how to safeguard client data.
And Retirement Leadership Forum’s Wallace Blankenbaker and Suzanne Raffaele will reveal results from the first-ever NAPA Advisor Research Institute (NARI).
The survey explores key practice-level metrics around revenue, profitability, staffing, and strategic growth opportunities. The results are segmented so advisors can compare themselves to others who truly “look like” them (in terms of firm, channel, practice focus, and team size).
Summit After Dark happens on Sunday night. Broadway’s neon signs illuminate the night, and the sound of country music drifts from every open door. Honky-tonk music entertains hungry advisors as they sample southern cuisine, from classic barbecue to soulful comfort food.
And it’s only Day One …
