National Conference Breakout Workshops

Over the past year, PSCA has been expanding its scope and has worked to raise awareness about defined contribution plan issues that are unique to 403(b) plans. At the National Conference in September, there will be several sessions that will provide valuable information for 403(b) plan sponsors. Jodi DiCenzo's keynote presentation about the latest defined contribution research will cover data from PSCA's most recent comprehensive survey of 403(b) plans. We'll also have some breakout workshops featuring topics unique to 403(b) plan sponsors, including:

Understanding 403(b) Fee Structures
Presented by Silvia Frank, Trinity Health; Novi, MI
As fiduciaries, it is critically important that 403(b) plan sponsors understand the fee structure of their plans and how to consolidate assets to increase negotiating power to lower fees and provide participants with lower cost investment options. Hear examples of how plan administrators have worked with their consultants and service providers to identify and develop a procedure to address issues with fragmented plan assets and excess plan revenue. As school districts, hospitals, associations, and other non-profit sponsors aggressively explore cost-cutting measures, see how a 1% difference in the fee structure affects participants’ retirement income and your plan’s cost.

Fiduciary 101 for 403(b) Plans
Presented by Rance Buss, McConnell & Jones LLP
As 403(b) plans evolve to “look and feel” like 401(k) plans, do 403(b) plan sponsors understand what it means to be a fiduciary? Are they aware of the legal impact and potential liabilities they face when making decisions regarding their plans and the consequences of not following the process? These and other questions will be discussed and answered during this workshop by leading experts on fiduciary responsibilities as they relate to 403(b) plans. This is an essential workshop for all 403(b) plan administrators and can be used as an important first step in fulfilling your requirement as being a “prudent expert.”

Join us for Polynesian Night!

The evening event for this year's national conference promises to be both entertaining and exciting! The last evening of the conference will be topped off on the Ritz-Carlton's Oceanfront Lawn with Polynesian Night, an evening of delicious food, beautiful music, entertainment including Polynesian fire dancers, and the opportunity to relax with other conference attendees.


Preregistration is required for this year for the Thursday, 9/23/10, event, so be sure and purchase your tickets soon so that you can take part in what is certain to be a great time! Tickets are $50 per person and may be purchased via the PSCA web site or by calling 312/419-1863. Seating is limited and tickets will not be sold at the conference, so be sure and get yours today!

Important Keynote Topics

Here is a preview of a couple of keynote presentations that will take place at the PSCA National Conference. Plan sponsors won't want to miss this important information:

Learning from Crisis Communications: Hoping it Never Happens Again. But, if it Does…

Presented by Christine Marcks, President, Prudential Retirement

During the unprecedented financial chaos of 2008-2009, plan sponsors and plan providers alike witnessed widespread participant panic, fear, and irrationality.
The news media did little, if anything, to calm the waters. Unfortunately, millions of American workers sold assets and cashed out as the market was plunging and then missed the market’s recovery in 2010. To address these issues, Prudential Retirement in the middle of 2008 formed a Crisis Communications Team, comprised of senior executives from across many areas of Prudential Financial overall. The team met daily at 8:00 a.m. for the next 18 months, and its goal was to learn what was happening with sponsors and participants on any given day and then to immediately develop and distribute communications designed to address the issues that were arising at that moment. The result was scores of specific communications to sponsors and participants, including several live, online video broadcasts, training for call-center representatives, and multiple new postings to sponsor and participant Web sites. Now, two years later, Prudential Retirement is enjoying its highest levels of sponsor retention in history, at 97%.

Evaluating America’s Retirement Readiness: How Are Turbulent Economic Times Affecting Participant Retirement Income?

Presented by Christopher Jones, Executive Vice President of Investment Management and Chief Investment Officer, Financial Engines, Inc.

Recent market volatility has had a significant impact on the amount of retirement income most 401(k) participants can expect in retirement. But, just how big is the gap between what participants need to retire and the amount of retirement income their 401(k) accounts are likely to generate? The National 401(k) Evaluation 2010, a new research report from Financial Engines, seeks to answer that important question and more. Join us for the official unveiling of the results of the report, in which we’ll provide an assessment of more than one million 401(k) portfolios and examine how the decisions participants are making with regard to savings, portfolio risk and diversification, and company stock holdings are affecting their 401(k) retirement income prospects. The presentation will also highlight which participants are taking full advantage of their 401(k)s and which participants are making damaging mistakes.

Target-Date Fund Topics

Target-date funds are a hot topic with plan sponsors these days. PSCA's National Conference will feature several sessions about these types of investment options. Here is a preview of a couple of these sessions:

The Next Generation of Target Date Investing: How Can We Deliver Better Outcomes?
Presented by Jeffrey L. Knight, Putnam Investments
Over 15 years since the inception of target-date funds, forward-thinking plan sponsors are now seeking to provide more thoughtful choices for their participants.

• What asset classes should be included - or avoided?
• How can we provide more consistent returns?
• How do we avoid repeating the volatility of the past 24 months, especially when used as default options?
• As a plan fiduciary, what is your obligation to look beyond your provider's standard offering?

In this session, leading investment consultants and asset managers will discuss these issues, how the industry is evolving to address them, and welcome your questions.

Target-Date Funds: To or Through Strategies
Presented by Doug Prince, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc.
Target-date funds have grown dramatically as a core investment options in many retirement plans. The reality is that, unlike other investment options, comparison between two different funds is not relatively easy due to a number of variables. One of the differences between options is basic – is the fund structured as a to retirement date portfolio, or a through retirement portfolio? Listen to the rationale of which strategy may be more appropriate for your participants.

National Conference Keynote Speakers

PSCA has a record number of nine keynote presentations lined up for this year's National Conference. In addition to familiar faces, like PSCA's own David Wray and Ed Ferrigno, a variety of financial industry experts will present on relevant topics that are affecting today's plan sponsors. Here are two presentations that you will see at the National Conference:

Exploring Retirement Income Strategies: Why Plan Sponsors Must Understand Retirement Income Products

Presented by Mendel Melzer, CIO and President, Newport Group Securities, Inc. on Thursday, September 23, 2010 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

This panel discussion will address the three topics that plan sponsors must understand about the new class of retirement income products:

• Why are Retirement Income products needed, and why must plan sponsors consider them for their plans?

• What types of solutions are available today and what are their pros and cons?

• What’s standing in the way of widespread adoption?

Should these be obstacles? Bring the questions you have about retirement income products!

An Overview of Research Studies

Presented by Jodi DiCenzo, Principal, Behavioral Research Associates on Friday, September 24, 2010 from 8:40-9:40 a.m.

Reviewing pertinent data helps plan sponsors to better understand where their plan stands today and how to better plan for tomorrow. It is also important to review industry survey information to get a macro view of the mega trends in retirement, as they may drive plan design change. Jodi DiCenzo, Principal of Behavioral Research Associates, will review the major research studies released in 2009, including PSCA’s Annual Survey of Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plans, PSCA’s 403(b) Plan Survey, and others to provide a composite picture of what is happening in the world of retirement benefits.

Conferences Help In Many Ways

PSCA exhibited this year at SHRM’s National Conference in San Diego. We are impressed with the depth and breath of the program. SHRM is a great association and offers many benefits to its members. Another great conference and association is PSCA’s National Conference where you are exposed to the latest ideas, products and thinking in the industry. You meet others – just like yourself – with similar challenges and through this network sometimes discover innovative solutions. By actively participating in PSCA’s National Conference, you are also doing due diligence and bringing back to your firm ideas, information, strategies and ideas that can improve how you manage your benefit plan. As a fiduciary, you fulfill part of your responsibility on being a prudent expert through the continual learning provided by the General Sessions and Workshops

More Breakout Sessions

PSCA has booked two more exciting and informative breakout sessions for the National Conference:

Never Too Young or Too Old: Helping Employees of All Ages to Plan for Retirement

Join us for a thought provoking, philosophical and practical discussion with Trisha Brambley, President of RESOURCES for Retirement and former U.S. Department of Labor ERISA Advisory Council Member, and Linda Robertson, Senior Financial Planner at Financial Finesse and (three?) time winner of the PSCA’s Signature award, discuss tangible steps you can put into action immediately to help your employees better prepare for retirement. Using provocative information, entertaining anecdotes and interesting facts from financial behavioral science, they will unravel some of the more complex issues regarding critical steps for retirement readiness for various age groups. As well as, innovative and practical approaches to help get employees on track for retirement. Presented by: Trisha Brambley, President, RESOURCES for Retirement and Liz Davidson, President, Financial Finesse, Inc.

Risk Intelligent 401(k) Management

There is much discussion and a lot of misinformation about fiduciary risks in retirement plans. The key is to mitigate the legal and fiduciary risks while optimizing investment performance. This session will explore the realities of investment risk from a fiduciary and legal perspective; then demonstrate methods to mitigate these risks while delivering increased investment performance. Presented by: Al Otto, Principal, Shepherd Kaplan, LLC [Previous CEO of OneFiduciary Group], Heath Miller, Principal, Shepherd Kaplan, LLC [Previous ERISA Partner at Morgan Lewis], and Client TBA, General Counsel of a Large Transportation Company (10,000+ employees)

National Conference Breakout Sessions

One reason PSCA's National Conference is a worthwhile investment is the wide variety of breakout workshops that we offer. Breakout workshops cover a wide range of topics, including investments, communication and education, compliance, plan design and administration, and more. No matter what your role is with your company's defined contribution plan, there will be multiple sessions at the National Conference that will provide you with valuable information and proven strategies that you can take back and apply to your plan. Here are a few of the breakout workshops that we have already lined up:

What You May Not Know About Your Investment Advisor

This presentation will distinguish between the different types of investment advisors that work with plan sponsors and other fiduciaries. Investment Advisors differ in registration requirements, following suitability or fiduciary standards, and may or may not disclose potential conflicts of interest. The presentation will discuss why reviewing an ADV Form may not tell the whole story and what other steps you can take to ensure that your investment advisors are working in your best interests. Presented by: David Hudak and Fred Stewart, Portfolio Evaluations, Inc.

Ask the Experts

Two nationally-recognized ERISA in-house counsel and outside counsels answer any and all questions from the audience. This popular and informative session provides insight, opinion, and candor to unravel some of the more complex issues in our industry. One of the most highly-rated sessions in the history of PSCA National Conferences. Bring all of your questions! Presented by: Ian Kopelman, DLA Piper LLP (US) and Karen Barnes, McDonald’s Corporation

Are You Prepared to Be a Fiduciary?

Plan sponsors face increasing challenges in today’s environment. Many plan fiduciaries may feel uncomfortable in their role as fiduciaries because of a lack of training or clear objectives for the committee. As defined contribution plans have become the backbone of retirement for most Americans, plan fiduciaries are asking two questions: How can I mitigate risk for me and my company, and how can I improve our retirement benefit for our participants to provide a better outcome for them?

By following some straightforward steps, plan fiduciaries can develop an approach to the governance of their plan that will help protect themselves from liability, and provide a framework for a better overall retirement benefit for plan participants.

This session will show you how to:

• Mitigate risk for committee members
• Establish a risk management framework for making decisions about investments
• Address the three key areas of risk in your plan: investments, fees and operational compliance
• Demonstrably improve the benefit to participants through the committee decision process
• Know when to use professional assistance, including legal counsel and consultants

Presented by: Donald Stone, Plan Sponsor Advisors

Roundtables

Roundtable discussions are one of the most popular sessions of past PSCA National Conferences. Roundtables are attended by plan sponsors who want to speak with other Plan Sponsors at similarly-sized companies - small, medium, and large company sessions are hosted. This year additional roundtables will take place, one exclusively for providers and one exclusively for tribal plans. Each session will be hosted by experts who will keep the topics and the dialogue moving. Plan Sponsors find these sessions among the most valuable at the conference.

• Small Company, 1-1,000 Employees - Moderated by Mary Kay Leydon, Transamerica Retirement Services
• Mid-Size Company, 1,001-9,999 Employees
• Global and Large Company, 10,000 or More Employees - Moderated by Kenneth Raskin, White & Case LLP
• Service Providers
• Tribal Employers - Moderated by Robert Yoder, Esq.

These are just a few of the breakout sessions we have lined up for PSCA's National Conference. Be sure to check this site often; we'll be updating with information about all of our breakout sessions, general sessions, and keynote speakers. We look forward to seeing you in September!

Are you a Fiduciary?

Can you answer yes to the following questions?

1. Do you exercise discretionary authority or discretionary control regarding management of your company’s Defined Contribution Plan?
2. Do you exercise discretionary authority or discretionary control regarding management or disposition of your company’s Defined Contribution Plan?
3. Do you have any discretionary authority or in administration of the Plan?
4. Do you give investment advice for a fee or other compensation, direct or indirect?

To find out if you are a fiduciary or not, attend one of the fiduciary sessions at PSCA’s National Conference , September 21 -24, 2010.

First Class Accommodations at a First Rate Conference

PSCA conferences have, historically, been hosted by beautiful resort properties, and the 2010 63rd National Conference and Exhibition is no different. Located on a beautiful Atlantic coast beach just north of Jacksonville, FL, the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island will host PSCA's National Conference for the second time.

The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island offers newly remodeled guest rooms, each with their own private balcony, and the discounted room rate for PSCA conference attendees can't be beat! Combined with fabulous meeting rooms, 4 onsite restaurants and PSCA's consistently highly rated program, this conference promises to be one you will not want to miss.

For more information and to register and take advantage of the "Early Bird" conference rate, visit the PSCA web site today!

Should non traditional investment options be in your plan?

As a Plan Sponsor, one of your fiduciary responsibilities is to work with your Investment Committee in picking the best available investment options for your Plan. As a fiduciary, it is also your responsibility to examine what plan investment strategies work best for your size plan. Have you looked beyond mutual funds for your line up? Have you considered collective trusts, ETFs, Separately Managed Accounts, Insurance Pooled Accounts and target date strategies? Where do you go to get the information you need? If you need the answers, get the right information from other plan sponsors and providers in workshops and general sessions at PSCA’s 2010 National Conference.

Sponsor or Exhibit at this year's"Making Connections: 63rd National Conference"

The Top Five Reasons to Sponsor a PSCA Event

1. Smart Use of Your Marketing Budget. Through sponsorship of PSCA conferences and events you can target your marketing directly to retirement and institutional decision makers.
2. Networking. PSCA provides service providers the opportunity to network with Plan Sponsors seeking best practice solutions for their plan.
3. If You Have to Choose One, Choose the Best. PSCA events are consistently highly ranked and well-attended - even in difficult economic times.
4. Co-op Marketing. Work with PSCA to produce electronic, integrated campaigns directly to your prescreened target markets.
5. Integrated Marketing. Create an integrated marketing solution using rich media, online, and traditional appropaches across a variety of channels.

And the Best Reason to Support PSCA?
PSCA is on the front lines defining and promoting the 401(k) industry. Your sponsorship enables funding of public policy work and Plan Sponsor education that enables companies of all sizes and industry types to develop "best practices" retirement savings plans.

2010 Sponsors and Exhibitors

Add your company's name to this list! Visit the PSCA web site TODAY for information on how your company can have a part in this year's National Conference and Exhibition!

Sponsors
Centier Bank
The Hartford
JPMorgan Chase Retirement Services
MassMutual Retirement Services
Prudential Retirement

Exhibitors
ADP Retirement Services
Bellwether Consulting
Charles Schwab
Internal Revenue Service
Johnson Lambert & Co., LLP
Keane Retirement Services
Newkirk Products
PIMCO
Retirement Made Simpler
Transamerica Retirement

National Conference Keynote Presentation

Over the next couple of months we will be confirming speakers for keynote and breakout workshops at PSCA's National Conference in September. One session that people look forward to each year is a keynote presentation by PSCA's own David Wray. David has been the President of PSCA for more than 20 years. If you have ever had the opportunity to hear David speak, you know that he is always energetic, engaging, and informative. He always provides insight into some of the latest defined contribution industry trends and events. And, if you've never seen David speak before, be sure to register to attend this year's conference - you won't want to miss what David has to say!

The Value of Industry Conferences

Where can you go to learn about what's new in the financial service industry without getting the feeling that "someone is trying to sell you something"? Most of us want simple answers to simple questions: What has your experience been adding target date funds? Is auto enrollment right for everyone? What does the new regulations around Form 5500 mean to me? We want these answers and we would also like to get them from someone just like us -- a small/medium/large company in the same industry. The best place to go -- and the most cost effective -- is a National Conference like PSCA's 63rd Annual National Conference...a conference created by Plan Sponsors for Plan Sponsors which will held September 21 -24, 2010 at the Ritz at Amelia Island, Florida. If you don't believe me, ask the thousands who have attended over the past decades.

Welcome to the PSCA Conferences Blog!

Welcome to the new PSCA Conferences blog. We at PSCA are very excited about this opportunity to share with attendees and potential attendees information about upcoming conferences including speaker information and bios, session topics, resort information and other items of interest. So stay tuned!