SPARK National 2019

SPARK National Agenda

Monday, June 3, 2019

1:00 – 6:00 pm Conference Registration

1:00 – 6:00 pm Exhibitor Setup –

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

7:00 am – 5:00 pm Conference Registration

7:00 – 8:00 am Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors –

8:00 – 8:10 am Welcome & Opening Remarks –

Tim Rouse, Executive Director, SPARK Institute, Inc.

8:10 – 9:00 am The ABLE Outlook: How these accounts are helping those living with disabilities

Michael Aronin, Comedian, Actor and Motivational Speaker
Chris Catanese, VP of Relationship Management, Ascensus
JJ Hanley, Director, Illinois ABLE
Rachel Letters, Deputy Director, Programs and Operations, Best Buddies
Daniel Madrid, Director of Performance and Planning, Delaware Office of the State Treasurer

ABLE accounts offer a better quality of life for people with disabilities across the country, including Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. Hear how our industry is helping to make this possible.

9:00 – 9:50 am The State of Retirement: A Global Perspective

Snezana Zlatar, SVP, Full Service Solutions Product & Business Development, Prudential Retirement (moderator)
Dr. Amlan Roy, PhD, Global Chief Retirement Strategist and Senior Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors

Around the world countries are evaluating their retirement systems and increasingly modeling reforms on the U.S. Defined Contribution system. In many cases countries are taking the next step to install a DC system and better prepare their citizens for a secure retirement. Interestingly, some overseas DC systems, already in place, have developed best practices that offer positive examples that our own U.S. workplace system should consider. In this session you will hear from experts that work around the globe and learn what is working, what doesn’t and if there is an opportunity for American firms to expand into these emerging opportunities.

9:50 – 10:20 am Break with Exhibitors –

10:20 – 11:10 am BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Emerging State Privacy in the Retirement Industry

David Levine, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered
Jason Remillard, CEO & Founder, Data443
Kevin Walsh, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered

This session will examine the state of privacy and how it could impact the retirement industry. Our experts will provide the audience with real world examples of how privacy regulations are implemented and addressed.

SESSION B – Integrating HSAs with Defined Contribution Platforms

Jamie Greenleaf, Partner/Principal, Cafaro Greeleaf
Danny Streiff, VP, Strategic Partner Sales, HealthEquity

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are the hottest thing in the retirement advisor space. There are many tax advantages to these arrangements for both paying current health care costs but also in retirement. This session will provide an overview of how these arrangements work, the potential tax benefits and how they fit into retirement planning. In addition, this session will provide an overview of the how the integration of the Defined Contribution Plan and the HSA is causing a paradigm shift in the retirement plan industry. There will be an update on how the top 30 record-keepers are addressing this opportunity.

11:10 – 12:00 pm Congressional Panel

Chris Gaston, Senior Policy Director, Davis & Harman LLP (moderator)
Kendra Kosko Isaacson, Senior Pensions Counsel, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions For U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Ranking Member
Kyle Jacobs, Legislative Assistant, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-01)

In this session, Davis & Harman will moderate a discussion on current legislative activity around retirement issues with congressional panelists.

12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 – 1:50 pm America’s Changing Workforce

Louis Hyman, Associate Professor, Institute for Workplace Studies, ILR School of Cornell University
John Scott, Director, Retirement Savings, Pew Charitable Trusts

America’s workforce is constantly changing and evolving. This session will look at where we were, where we are today and what the workforce of the future might look like. The session will also discuss how benefits policy change in response to these workforce trends. These are important things to consider as providers invest in products and services necessary to deliver benefits to future workers.

1:50 – 2:40 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Exploring Protections Against Cyber Breaches and Fraud

Eric S. Levy, EVP, AIG Retirement Services (moderator)
Wendy Young Carter, VP and DC Director, Public Sector, Segal Group
David Murray, Financial Lines Head of Product Innovation, AIG
Michael Robinson, Sr. Director, Business Development Executive Employee Benefits, Lifelock

As cyber threats and fraud attempts increase more providers and plan sponsors are looking for ways to add protections to participants’ accounts. This session will examine ways to guard a plan with a group monitoring service, and insure participants account in the event of an account take-over.

SESSION B – What’s old is new again? Best practices to give plan participants the pension-like lifetime income they want

Tim Pitney, Managing Director, Institutional Investment and Endowment Distribution, TIAA

The transition from asset accumulation or saving for retirement to distribution and to receiving retirement income creates an array of complex decisions that employees will need to assess to maintain their quality of life. What are some of the post-retirement tier options available for your employees? What are some of the innovative solutions available today? What is your view and your philosophy on how to provide options to your retirees? This session will review best practices and strategies for effective retirement income and distribution approaches for today’s retirement plans.

2:40 – 3:20 pm Break with Exhibitors –

3:20 – 4:10 pm The Future of the Advisor-Recordkeeper Relationship

Brendan McCarthy, DCIO National Sales Director, Nuveen (moderator)
Philip Chao, Principal and CIO, Chao & Company, Ltd
Joseph DeNoyior, CEO, Washington Financial Group

Fee compression, service expansion and fiduciary evolution are leading to a “merging of lanes” for recordkeepers and plan advisors. As industry stakeholders redefine their relationship with each other, they search for new ways to survive and grow in an increasingly data driven world. This panel will examine the evolving relationship between advisors and recordkeepers as they look to access and harness the power of participant analytics. Where will partnership exist and where will lines be drawn relative to participant data as advisors seek to offer advice and other services beyond the plan? Please join us for a lively discussion and Q&A session with leading retirement plan advisors on the “sharing of turf” when it comes to plan participants.

4:10 – 5:00 pm Data Aggregation & Personalization: What’s Your Plan?

Michael Shafer, Director of Relationship Management, SS&C (moderator)
Marc Caras, CRO, Pension Resource Institute, LLC
Alicia Hartjen, Head of Product Development, Financial Education & Communication Solutions, SS&C
Adam Sokolic, COO, Financial Services, HUB International

It’s become a business imperative. But it’s not just about access to participant data. That’s only part of the story. A provider’s ability to have a holistic view of their participants’ data and then integrate it throughout the retirement ecosystem is where true value is created – for participants, providers, and advisors. Benefits include greater efficiencies, increased engagement and client loyalty, more personalization, and improved outcomes for clients. The industry, however, has yet to capitalize fully on the benefits of data aggregation. The panel will provide perspective on the current state/ adoption of data aggregation, including the perceived challenges and barriers to adoption and implementation, where opportunities exist, and provide some use case examples.

5:00 – 7:00 pm Reception with Exhibitors –

Cocktail Service with Hors d’Oeuvres

9:00 – 11:00 pm After-Hours Reception –

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

7:00 – 8:00 am Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors –

8:00 – 8:10 am Opening Remarks

Rich Linton, EVP, Group Distribution & Operations, Empower Retirement and Board Chairman and President, SPARK Institute, Inc.

8:10 – 9:00 am How America Supports Retirement

Peter Brady, Senior Economist, Investment Company Institute

ICI published a new book by Senior Economist Peter J. Brady. It shares how the current structure of the U.S. retirement system is progressive and provides benefits to all American workers.

9:00 – 9:50 am BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SESSION A – Integrating Student Loan Repayments into Recordkeeping

Adrienne Robertson, Senior Director, Client Compliance and Consulting Services, Transamerica (moderator)
Tara Fung, VP, CommonBond for Business
Wayne Gutridge, Director, Workplace Products & Solutions, Transamerica
Steven Kains, Senior Director, Tuition.io
Laurel Taylor, CEO, FutureFuel.io

In this session, you will hear from a panel of student loan providers on how they can integrate with recordkeepers. The audience will learn of different products and services these providers can offer and some of the pros and cons of a single provider solution vs. a multi-preferred provider solution for your clients.

SESSION B – The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cyber Security Breaches

David Levine, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered
Kevin Walsh, Principal, Groom Law Group, Chartered
Josephine Wolff, Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology

We know about cyber breaches, but what have been the results? Where is all of this leading to in the future? What are policy makers thinking?

9:50 – 10:20 am Break with Exhibitors –

10:20 – 11:10 am Department of Labor Update

Rich Linton, EVP of Distribution and Operations, Empower Retirement and Board Chairman and President, SPARK Institute, Inc. (introduction)
Jeanne Wilson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy, Department of Labor

11:10 – 12:00 pm Legislative & Regulatory Update

Chris Gaston, Senior Policy Director, Davis & Harman LLP
Mike Hadley, Partner, Davis & Harman LLP

The audience will hear from Davis & Harman LLP on legislative and regulatory updates in Washington effecting the U.S. retirement industry.