One of the key challenges plan fiduciaries may encounter is terminating a retirement plan because of a merger or acquisition. What happens in this situation, why is it such a common issue, and how can advisors help?

Pete Welsh, Managing Director of Retirement and Wealth at Inspira Financial, joins American Retirement Association Chief Content Officer John Sullivan to answer these questions and more.

Sponsored by Inspira Financial

Matt Stubblefield from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and Tina Wilson from Empower joins John Sullivan for this episode of the Executive Interview.

Matt shares Allianz's latest research insights into participant attitudes and preferences surrounding this vital aspect of retirement planning. Tina provides firsthand experiences from implementing guaranteed lifetime income offerings on the Empower platform.

Together, they discuss the future adoption and evolution of guaranteed lifetime income within retirement plans.

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The Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement produces insights and research as part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz).

Research Cited: The State of Lifetime Income: Participant Survey, conducted by the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement in November 2024 with a nationally representative sample of 2,488 respondents aged 18+ who are currently contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics January 2022

Fixed index annuities are designed to meet long-term needs for retirement income. They provide guarantees against the loss of principal and credited interest, tax-deferred accumulation potential, and the reassurance of a death benefit for beneficiaries.

This content is for general educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide fiduciary, tax, or legal advice and cannot be used to avoid tax penalties or to promote, market, or recommend any tax plan or arrangement. Please note that Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, its affiliated companies, and their representatives and employees do not give fiduciary, tax, or legal advice. Allianz does not provide financial planning services.

Guarantees are backed solely by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is not affiliated with Empower

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is not affiliated with NAPA

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz), 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55416-1297. 800.542.5724 www.allianzlife.com

For institutional use only - not intended for use with the public.

Why is portability so important for retirement plan participants? And how does it apply to in-plan guaranteed lifetime income solutions like annuities?

We speak with Gordy Stead, Director of Institutional Sales at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. He joins us to discuss the importance of portability in retirement savings as we explore the unique challenges and considerations when it comes to in-plan guaranteed lifetime income solutions.

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Disclosure

Research cited in this podcast:

• Allianz Life conducted an online survey, the 2024 3Q Quarterly Market Perceptions Study, in August 2024 with a nationally representative sample of 1,005 individuals age 18+.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2022
• Trends in Public-Sector Employee Tenure, 2000-2022, Public Retirement Research Lab, 2022

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America has been keeping its promises since 1896 by helping Americans achieve their retirement income and protection goals with a variety of annuity and life insurance products.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America does not provide financial planning services.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is not affiliated with NAPA

Guarantees are backed solely by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

John Hancock Retirement is out with its highly anticipated Financial Resilience and Longevity Report, now in its 10th year. It contains good news for most retirement savers, but some generations lag.

We’re excited to speak with CEO Wayne Park, whose team fielded the study, about what they found as well as trends they’re seeing when looking back at previous years.

We also asked him the all-important question--is there a retirement crisis in this country? Here’s what he had to say.

Sponsored By: John Hancock Retirement

Sponsored by: Inspira Financial Trust, LLC

Financial wellness, automatic rollovers, and plan terminations are currently a trifecta of important topics to which advisors can add real value. In an increasingly commoditized retirement plan space, it’s a way for them to truly stand out in the services they provide to help their plan sponsor and participant clients.

It’s an area of hyper-focus for Inspira Financial, the result of Millennium Trust Company and PayFlex joining forces recently to become a “devoted partner for health, wealth, retirement, and benefits.”

Pete Welsh, managing director of retirement and wealth at Inspira Financial, discusses strategies to increase financial wellness for client employees and retirement plan terminations, but begins with a bit about Inspira Financial itself.

*Inspira Financial Trust, LLC and its affiliates perform the duties of a directed custodian and/or an administrator of consumer directed benefits and, as such, do not provide due diligence to third parties on prospective investments, platforms, sponsors, or service providers, and do not offer or sell investments or provide investment, tax, or legal advice.

To tackle current workforce and organizational issues, it's essential to move beyond conventional approaches. Many employers are turning to Pooled Employer Plans (PEP) to solve the challenges of the traditional 401(k) structure.

In fact, By 2030, over half of employer plan sponsors are expected to switch to a PEP. Aon’s Rick Jones joins us to discuss how we’ll get there.

PEPs allow employers to combine assets for cost efficiency while shifting fiduciary and operational duties to the PEP provider. They can also improve retirement outcomes for participants—making PEPs a win-win for organizations and their employees.

Listen in to learn how:

· PEPs simplify retirement planning and reduce administrative burdens for employers

· PEPs reduce fiduciary risks

· PEPs offer lower fees and better retirement outcomes

Sponsored By: Aon

The role of personalization in retirement plans is an increasing industry focus as a way to potentially ensure successful outcomes. So, what is Morningstar Retirement’s view on the importance of personalization in the industry?

We asked Morningstar’s Chris Weirath, Head of Business Development and Client Success, that very question, as well as how managed accounts fit in. It’s a fascinating discussion that also touched on the convergence of wealth management and retirement planning.

We began by asking Chris a bit about herself, something not found in her LinkedIn profile.

©2024 Morningstar Investment Management LLC. All rights reserved. The Morningstar name and logo are registered marks of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar Retirement offers research- and technology-driven products and services to individuals, workplace retirement plans, and other industry players. Associated advisory services are provided by Morningstar Investment Management LLC, a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Advisor Managed Accounts intended for citizens or legal residents of the United States or its territories. The portfolio assignment delivered through Advisor Managed Accounts is provided by Morningstar Investment Management LLC, a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. Investment advice delivered by Morningstar Investment Management is based on information provided and limited to the investment options available in the participant's defined contribution plan. Projections and other information regarding the likelihood of various retirement income and/or investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual results, and are not guarantees of future results. Results may vary with each use and over time. Other investment advice delivered through Advisor Managed Accounts is provided by an unaffiliated investment adviser.

All investments involve risk, including the loss of principal. There can be no assurance that any financial strategy will be successful. Morningstar Retirement does not guarantee that the results of their advice, recommendations or objectives of a strategy will be achieved.

The 2Q 2024 Quarterly Market Perceptions Study from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz) was recently published. The study provides valuable insights into participant demand for in-plan guaranteed lifetime income solutions, such as annuities, highlighting key differences among generations and demographic groups. Ben Thomason, Head of Defined Contribution Distribution at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, is here to discuss these insights.

He explains the various participant tools to help address their retirement concerns, awareness of those tools, and more.