Detailed Agenda

SPARK Forum

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

10:30 am Exhibit Hall Opens

11:00 am – 11:10 am Opening Remarks

Tim Rouse, SPARK Institute

11:10 am – 12:00 pm Keynote with Jenny Johnson

Jenny Johnson, President, CEO, Franklin Resources
Philip Chao, Experiential Wealth
After three decades at the asset management firm, the well prepared Jenny took over the top job in February this year. Since then, she oversaw the completion of the acquisition of Legg Mason to become one of the world’s largest independent, specialized global investment managers with a combined $1.5 trillion in assets under management. All during a global pandemic. She will speak with us about her vision for her firm and the future of the financial service and investment management industry.

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Break with Exhibitors

12:30 pm – 1:20 pm Re-imagining Your Future Business Model

Steven Daugherty, SS&C Technologies
Russell Fernandez, Deloitte Consulting
Peter Kocmond, JP Morgan Asset Management
Michael Ravey, SS&C Technologies
Tim Scott, Enterprise Iron
Plan providers and recordkeepers are under enormous pressure to modernize their operations if they are to stay competitive in a crowded field. The changing expectations of plan participants for offerings such as Financial Wellness and Lifetime Income products, along with the high cost of keeping current with technology is driving digital transformation across the industry. Allocating resources to focus on client experience and outcomes can be challenging when confronted with day to day tasks. Forming strategic partnerships to manage those commoditized functions can allow plan providers to focus resources on the strategic, high value tasks. Learn how these strategic partnerships are transforming business and exceeding client expectations by: allowing providers to reallocate resources to bringing their message to the market, increasing agility and efficiency and increasing access of digital tools, providing a more personalized client experience.

1:20 pm – 1:40 pm Break with Exhibitors

1:40 pm – 2:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Returning to Work: How COVID-19 has Impacted our Workplace Environment

Tim Scott, Enterprise Iron Financial Industry Solutions, Inc. (moderator)
Sergio DuBois, Enterprise Iron Financial Industry Solutions, Inc.
Calvin Schnure, Nareit
Darlene Soderquist, Empower Institutional
Michele Steele, OneAmerica Financial Partners
COVID-19 has impacted our world and the way we do business in unprecedented ways. Forcing companies to migrate to a remote workforce overnight. Now as economies begin to reopen, firms are faced with a safe return to work while maintaining a partially remote workforce. What impact do these decisions have on our Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Operations, Real Estate, Facilities and Technologies that supports all of these areas? Our expert panel discusses these issues and how your company may enhance its planning and transition. This interactive session will allow you to share your experiences and benefit from “lessons learned” from peers on this very timely and impactful topic.

SESSION B – DC 3.0: DB-ifying DC Plans

Philip Maffei, TIAA (moderator)
Sherrie Grabot, GuidedChoice
Doug McIntosh, Prudential Retirement
Mike Westhoven, Micruity
Discussions and interest in exploring institutionally-priced, in-plan annuity products has increased in recent years and has accelerated since the passage of the SECURE Act. Are we at the start of a wave of DB-ifying DC plans that some have dubbed “DC 3.0”? This panel of industry experts will share some thoughts on how the constituents along the value chain can help remove barriers to address lifetime income product adoption, integration, scalability, and customer experience.

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Break with Exhibitors

Thursday, November 5, 2020

10:30 am Exhibit Hall Opens

11:00 am – 11:10 am Opening Remarks

Tim Rouse, SPARK Institute

11:10 am – 12:00 pm Post Election Washington Update

Chris Gaston, Davis & Harman LLP
Mike Hadley, Davis & Harman LLP
Adam McMahon, Davis & Harman LLP
Davis & Harman LLP, The SPARK Institute’s outside counsel, will provide an up-to-the-minute update on activities in Congress including regulatory effects as a result of the election.

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Break with Exhibitors

12:30 pm – 1:20 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Change as a Constant: How Plan Sponsors Are Adapting to Today’s Normal, and Preparing for Tomorrow

Warren Jennings, FIS (moderator)
Rob Boehmer, State of Nevada
Anthony Estell, Michigan Office of Retirement Services
Lavina Mehta, Bechtel Global Corporation
Tony Tomich, Farmers Insurance
The SECURE Act, the CARES Act, virtual work environments and more – the changes keep coming and the recent pace has been increasing. As plan sponsors look forward, there is a need to lean into technology to meet the needs of today’s marketplace in preparing employees for retirement. Please join us to hear from our panel of plan sponsors as they discuss how they are adapting to the challenges and opportunities impacting the retirement plan community.

SESSION B – Decumulation: The Final Frontier

Philip Chao, Experiential Wealth (moderator)
Matt Gray, Allianz Life
Steve McCoy, iJoin
James Olson, Financial Processing Solutions Group (FPS Group)
The combination of the Baby Boomers crossing over to their Golden Years, the uncertainty of saving sufficiency, the challenges of behavioral biases in managing money in retirement, the insecurity about the vibrancy of Social Security, the recently passed SECURE Act that solidifies the ability to include annuities in plans and the rapid advancement and deployment of fintech, have all contributed to the focus on decumulation and income sufficiency in retirement. The industry is trying to balance optionality under a traditional asset management framework through managed payout with the certainty of an income replacement through annuities. This panel will discuss the process of integrating annuities into a DC plan as both an asset class during the final years of accumulation with optionality and as a potential retirement paycheck for life with certainty.

1:20 pm – 1:40 pm Break with Exhibitors

1:40 pm – 2:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – How the New Normal is shaping the future of Financial Wellness

Cindy Volker, Broadridge (moderator)
Virginia Maguire, Alight Solutions
Chrisinda Mowrer, Voya Financial
Joleen Workman, Principal Financial
Financial wellness is the latest focus in benefits, but it can be hard to truly define what that means for employees. This panel will share and discuss results of a new national survey tracking employees’ perspective and use of financial wellness and how it impacts their lives, work, happiness, motivations and financial security. These insights offer a deep dive into employees view of financial wellness including revealing how each generation defines, perceives, and is impacted by financial wellness programs, products, and solutions. We will explore these findings in the context of an unprecedented global health crisis that is not only challenging the way we live on a daily basis, but also posing significant short and long-term economic threats that could have a lasting effect on personal financial well-being. Panelists will share how their firms are helping American workers strike a healthy balance between living for today and preparing financially for tomorrow. By understanding employee views, priorities, and expectations as well as learning how leading firms are defining financial well-being to make a difference in the lives of the employees they service, and to provide better services to the employers they support.

SESSION B – Retirement Security for the Next Generation

Tina Sanchez, BlackRock (moderator)
Jeff Cimini, Voya Retirement and Retail Wealth Management Solutions and Experience Group
Todd Levy, Ingham Retirement Group
Nick Nefouse, BlackRock
A new generation is entering retirement dependent almost entirely on their own savings. Now more than ever, it is important to align on the critical need to provide income through defined contribution plans. Join us for a discussion about investment solutions and plan design options as well as strategies for helping plan sponsors and participants navigate this important component of retirement planning.

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Break with Exhibitors

Friday, November 6, 2020

10:30 am Exhibit Hall Opens

11:00 am – 11:10 am Opening Remarks

Rich Linton, Empower Retirement

11:10 am – 12:00 pm Keynote with Bob Reynolds

Bob Reynolds, President & CEO, Putnam Investments
John Mitchem, Principal, JM3 Projects

Bob Reynolds is one of the primary architects of the U.S. 401(k) system and a 30+ year advocate for advancing effective policy to help secure a dignified retirement for all working Americans. In this session, Reynolds will share his thinking on the critical role of bi-partisan public policy in the continuing evolution of America’s $20 trillion defined contribution retirement savings system, an assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 economic dislocation and his perspective on product/technology innovation, industry evolution and market expansion. His 2017 book, “From Here to Security,” offered a unique insider’s history of the American workplace retirement savings system and an assessment of the road forward. Many of the book’s prescriptions were included in last year’s Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019.

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Break with Exhibitors

12:30 pm – 1:20 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Getting ready for tomorrow: Using tech to provide great CX to participants and sponsors

Lucas Soucy, Congruent Solutions (moderator)
Cynthia Hayes, Oculus Partners, LLC
Eric Brickman, Newport Group
Bala Jayaraman, Congruent Solutions
Jason Lenardson, Lincoln Financial Group
The retirement plan industry faces multiple challenges. While the Defined Contributions revenues have been growing fast thanks to 401k plan adoption, fee compression, high TCO and rigid systems, and ever-changing regulatory systems are eating up record-keepers’ profits. The need to provide services at a lower price point and a high degree of fee transparency means that record keepers have to provide services at a lower cost, but that comes at the cost of service quality. The legacy platforms are inept and rigid in providing better experiences. To add to the above, the record keepers have to continually update their systems to ensure they are compliant with ERISA, DOL, and IRS rules and regulations.

The above scenario calls for a new approach to the technology alternatives record keepers need to consider. Cloud is the enabler. The panelists will discuss in details the challenges the industry faces, how can the cloud help record keepers address them and how can the retirement plan industry provide a better customer experience (CX) to their clients, namely sponsors and participants.

SESSION B – PIMCO DC Consulting Study: The Evolving Retirement Income Landscape

Philip Chao, Experiential Wealth (moderator)
Rick Fulford, PIMCO
Jarrott Heath, Comperio Retirement Consulting
The changing retirement environment, the emergence of new retiree behaviors and preferences, and the introduction of retirement legislation have had a recent and profound effect on the retirement income industry – including areas such as product development, retirement education and plan adviser services. Join our panel as they discuss the implications of these effects and how they continue to influence retirement income solutions and resources.

1:20 pm – 1:40 pm Break with Exhibitors

1:40 pm – 2:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Missing Participants & Uncashed Checks; A Snapshot Since GAO Completed its Study?

Mark Koeppen, FPS Trust (moderator)
Sherwin Chapman, GAO
Angie Jacobs, GAO
Georgeann Peters, Baker & Hostetler LLP
Samantha Petersen, The Petersen Group
Experts in unclaimed property and ERISA regulation will join with GAO representatives to review the missing participant and uncashed checks recommendations of the GAO Study and the ERISA Advisory Council, evaluate alternative solutions that could be instituted within the current regulatory framework, and share best practices.

SESSION B – The Art of the Possible: Accelerating Momentum in an Unprecedented Environment

Judy Nelson, TCS (moderator)
Jenny Holt, Phoenix Group
Luke Tieman, Aon
Cong-Rong Xie, Canada Life
Andy Young, Phoenix Group
No one could have predicted at the beginning of 2020 what was in store for the world. The challenges imposed by a global pandemic were unprecedented, with implications spanning every facet of our lives – health, home, and work. Layered upon ongoing trends within the financial services industry — such as constant regulatory change, economic uncertainty and an industry facing rapid pricing compression and consolidation – service organizations were forced to stretch to exist in an otherwise unimaginable environment.

Hear from a global panel of industry leaders as they share their insights on how their organizations were able to conceive the art of the possible – rethinking associate engagement, distribution and service — to maintain momentum in a newly oriented market.

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Break with Exhibitors