John Ortman

ARA Seeks Level Playing Field in Upcoming DOL Rules on State-Run Plans

By John Ortman | 10/20/2015

Impending DOL regulations intended to pave the way for state-run retirement programs for private sector workers may create an unfair playing field and widespread confusion over ERISA preemption, as well other potentially damaging changes, says American Retirement Association CEO Brian Graff.Graff,... READ MORE

Ex-Brookings Economist Litan Responds to Warren’s Conflict Accusation

By John Ortman | 10/7/2015

Economist Robert Litan has responded on Forbes.com to accusations of conflicts of interest leveled the last week of September by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that cost him his position at the Brookings Institution.BackgroundIn a letter to Brookings president Strobe Talbot, Warren had claimed... READ MORE

PRI Adds Fiduciary Education Program, Compliance Tool

By John Ortman | 10/2/2015

The Pension Resource Institute has launched a fiduciary education program to help advisors respond to plan sponsors’ growing focus on regulatory compliance.The firm’s new Governance-Model Administrative Procedures (G-MAP) is built around a 10-step process, and offers advisors a repeatable framework... READ MORE

OneAmerica Closes Acquisition of BMO’s Retirement Business

By John Ortman | 9/30/2015

OneAmerica announced Sept. 30 that it has completed its acquisition of BMO Financial Group’s U.S. retirement services business, consisting of more than 200 professionals serving approximately 830 plans. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. OneAmerica’s retirement services businesses now... READ MORE

Leadership Dives into NAPA’s Position, Approach on DOL Fiduciary Rule

By John Ortman | 7/23/2015

Delegates at the 2015 NAPA D.C. Fly-In Forum got a deep dive into the organization’s position and strategy on the DOL’s fiduciary rule July 21, courtesy of members of the NAPA leadership team that developed them.The focus of the discussion: the American Retirement Association’s comment letter to... READ MORE

Focus: Participant Outcomes

By John Ortman | 7/16/2015

A big part of a plan advisor’s job is to prepare plan participants for their decumulation years. Yet many in the industry tend to focus on savings accumulation prior to retirement.In an effort to change this mindset and bring outcomes issues to the forefront, we asked industry thought leaders to... READ MORE

Your Chances of Being Gored in Pamplona

By John Ortman | 7/15/2015

It’s the middle of July. There’s no NBA or NHL. NFL training camps are still closed; major league baseball is still on its all-star game hiatus. I know what you’re thinking: How many people have been gored in Pamplona this year?The answer: Over the course of this year’s nine-day annual running of... READ MORE

Pension Controversy in Garden State Despite Court Ruling

By John Ortman | 6/15/2015

The New Jersey Supreme Court may have ruled that Gov. Chris Christie (R) can cut $1.57 billion in contributions to the state’s public employee pension system, but that has not spelled an end to the public controversy over the system and how to address its problems. Debate erupted outside the state... READ MORE

It’s Never Too Late to Thank a Vet

By John Ortman | 5/22/2015

What’s Memorial Day really about? Take three minutes over the holiday weekend to watch this remarkable History Channel video featuring Americans whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I might live free. Got young kids at home? Watch it with them. It's important that they they... READ MORE

By John Ortman | 5/12/2015

We are experiencing some slowdowns in the process of “migrating” NAPA Net subscriber accounts to our new publishing platform. As a result, some NAPA members and subscribers received an automated notification email before their accounts were activated. We now expect to complete the account migration... READ MORE

Warren to Investigate Rewards and Incentives Offered to Annuities Dealers

By John Ortman | 4/29/2015

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced April 28 that she has launched an investigation into the rewards and incentives that annuity providers offer to brokers and dealers who sell annuities to families and small investors.In letters sent to 15 of the country's largest annuity providers, Warren... READ MORE

Warren’s ‘Smart Regulation’ Theme May Presage Campaign Issue in 2016

By John Ortman | 4/16/2015

The financial services industry may well have gotten a sneak peek recently at how Democrats — including the party’s nominee for president — may well use financial industry reforms as a campaign issue in 2016.At a conference April 15, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) encouraged those who oppose more... READ MORE

SEC Regulators Now Examining 12b-1 Fees

By John Ortman | 4/8/2015

As part of its exam cycle, the SEC is reviewing the “entire spectrum of 12b-1 fees,” according Marc Wyatt, deputy director of the agency’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE).Speaking at a District of Columbia Bar Association event on April 7, Wyatt said that OCIE is “... READ MORE

Redefining Life — and Retirement

By John Ortman | 3/25/2015

Sometime this year we'll pass a milestone: For the first time in history, there will be more Americans over 65 than there are under 15.How do we plan for a society that has more old people than children? What does the combination of greater longevity and advances in efforts to stretch the human... READ MORE

Doll, te Wildt Tackle Economic Trends and Investment Outlook

By John Ortman | 3/24/2015

Americans are currently saving about 50% of the extra money in their pockets resulting from lower energy prices. But don't expect that to last long, advises Fidelity's Claus te Wildt. "Americans are not good at saving half of anything in the long term," he opined at a workshop session at the 2015... READ MORE

How to Transform Your Practice into a Business

By John Ortman | 3/22/2015

Do you want to just build a job for yourself? Or do you want to create something valuable that outlasts, or even outlives, you? According to David Grau, founder and president of FP Transitions, choosing the "build a job" answer puts you among 70% of the people who serve the workplace retirement... READ MORE

See You in San Diego!

By John Ortman | 3/19/2015

The 2015 NAPA 401(k) Summit opens this Sunday and runs through Tuesday. We’ll be there covering the high points of the Summit’s five general sessions and 24 workshops. Look for our onsite next-day coverage in special NAPA Net Conference Daily editions Monday through Wednesday next week. And if you'... READ MORE

Merriman vs. Bogle: It’s On!

By John Ortman | 1/8/2015

Which will do better over the next 20 years: large cap or small cap stocks? Growth or value? Paul Merriman is calling out John Bogle on his recent prediction that the answer is large caps and growth stocks. If you missed it, in a Q&A published in the November/December issue of the Journal of... READ MORE

FINRA Exam Priorities Include Warning on Fiduciary Duty

By John Ortman | 1/7/2015

In a departure from its approach in the past, FINRA’s annual Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter for 2015, issued Jan. 6, said that brokers can avoid compliance problems by acting in the best interests of their clients — a standard of fiduciary duty beyond the suitability standard. “A... READ MORE

U.S. Equities 10 Years Out: 50% Lower?

By John Ortman | 1/7/2015

For some time now, different researchers have predicted that once the Baby Boomers begin to retire, equity returns will suffer. The theory is that retirees are less inclined to invest in stocks given their need for income and their shorter investment time horizon. Given the rise in U.S.... READ MORE

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