It’s hard to believe, but we’re now just a month away from the 2021 NAPA 401(k) Summit—with an agenda developed by advisors for advisors. There are some choices ahead—and this week we asked NAPA-Net readers to weigh in on the Day 2 topics—while getting a chance to win a free registration to the 2022 NAPA 401(k) Summit!
That’s right—the 2021 NAPA 401(k) Summit is almost here. The topics you helped select—matched with the best and most provocative speakers in the industry. It’s going to be hard to pick which session(s) to attend—but this week we asked NAPA-Net readers (even those unable to attend) to weigh in.
We'll start things off on Day #2 with... The COVID Comeback. Even before the global pandemic set in, many Americans were struggling with burnout. The abrupt shift to WFH, alongside additional stresses about health and financial well-being, have only served to magnify the pressure points of our daily lives. As we—and those who rely upon our expertise—return to our workplaces, those stress points remain and, left unaddressed, could be stumbling blocks both to the success of your practice and your practices. Jennifer Moss, globally recognized as an expert in burnout and author of the book, The Burnout Epidemic, published by Harvard Business Press, can provide us with the strategies to navigate these challenging times.
For our first set of day 2 workshops—well, readers were clearly split in terms of their favorite(s):
24% - PEP “Positions”: PEPs—The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The industry is all abuzz with the approval of PEPs, but are PEPs always appropriate for the employers they were meant to support? Come hear from a panel of experts that will provide some perspective on the things their plan sponsors should be thinking about, i.e. where PEPs make sense, as well as where other solutions could be a better fit.
23% - Minutes “Mien”: Sensible Approaches for Committee Minutes
An expert’s take on advisor and committee roles in writing and maintaining committee minutes. There’s a fine line between minutes being an impactful tool or a liability.
22% - “On” Target?: The Case for Managed Accounts—Could Managed Accounts Replace Target Date Funds?
Employees are looking for personalized advice and they want it now more than ever. Even 79% of target date fund managers agree the future of investing is personalization at the participant level. Find out how the next evolution of advice programs can better engage participants, and help grow and protect your practice.
18% - “Err” Rational: Competing for Plan Sponsor Mindshare with Digital Emotional Intelligence (digitalEQ™).
Many advisors believe they must appeal to the logical sphere of their audiences’ brains. Unfortunately, this approach is haphazard at best. Given the ways our brains are structured, research shows us that decision making and emotion go hand and hand. Learning to speak the language of emotions is the true differentiator. To out-care the competition, advisors need to be different. They need command of digitalEQ — the ability to evolve and apply emotional intelligence using a multitude of in-person and digital channels.
12% - “Cyber” Specs: The Opportunities and Challenges in an Advancing Digital Marketplace
The recent pace of change in the marketplace has been remarkable. Many of the industry advances are the product of increasing information-sharing capabilities. This panel session will focus on industry best practices to educate, protect, and grow your business in the coming Fintech marketplace.
Peer-to-Peer
After those workshops, we'll break up for one of the most engaging aspects of the NAPA 401(k) Summit—our “peer-to-peer” sessions, where we'll break up into groups and discuss some of the more pressing issues confronting advisors today, and in the future. BTW, we’ll have separate discussions for advisors, home office, and providers!
After Lunch
The second set of workshops (apparently) presented readers with yet another set of tough choices:
32% - Mental Health in Financial Services: the Current Perspective, Real Conversations, & What You Can Do About It
It’s time to start being open and honest about this. Why? Because we all have mental health and stress, and discussing this at work is a must-have non-negotiable. In this fireside interview, Jon and Melissa will explore something that’s important to us all: mental health at work, especially in our field, and the positive impact taking it seriously could have on all advisors and business owners. They’ll explore several facets of this topic, including how the pandemic has effected mental health and subsequent conversations at work, why mental health is a crucial workplace issue, and the nuances of how generational differences and gender can impact perceptions around this topic. There will be an open Q&A at the end of the session where you can ask Melissa questions and we absolutely encourage you to participate in this portion of the session. You never know how your question, or the resulting answer, could help your colleagues, your employees, and even your business thrive for years to come.
29% - Different “Strokes”: Strategic Partners are From Venus and Advisors are From Mars
Communication, priorities, and value propositions are often disconnected between Strategic Partners and Advisors. What and when something is important to an Advisor can be very different than what and when something is important to an asset manager or record keeper. We are bringing three of them together today to discuss their differences. This group does not normally work together, so it will be entertaining to hear their viewpoints on what they wish they knew about each other.
24% - “Out” Takes: Riding the Decumulation Wave
The participant shift from accumulation to decumulation is here and surveys show that 60% of plan sponsors are now considering offering lifetime income solutions. A discussion of the various solutions your clients will want to discuss and how advisors can add value.
15% - Data “Driven”: The Ethics of Dealing with Participant Data
The more information we have about participants, the more tailored and effective our solutions can be. But are there—and should there—be limits to what we do with that data? Where are the lines that shouldn’t be crossed?
So—clearly a LOT to look forward to! Oh—and if you HAVEN’T registered yet, you need to get on over to https://napasummit.org, and do so… TODAY.
This week’s lottery winner of a FREE registration to the 2022 NAPA 401(k) Summit is Karri Carrasco of OneDigital Retirement! We’ll have another opportunity next week!
p.s. the results from last week’s polling are at https://www.napa-net.org/news-info/daily-news/reader-poll-low-blows-hot-spots-ocean-views-or-better.
