Sponsor Profiles 2020 - SPARK Institute

A leading provider of annuities and life insurance, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz) bases each decision on a philosophy of being true: True to our strength as an important part of a leading global financial organization.

True to our passion for making wise investment decisions. And true to the people we serve, each and every day.

Amundi US is the US investment headquarters of Amundi, whose extensive network of investment and marketing offices throughout the world provides a global perspective as well as in-depth knowledge of local markets. Amundi, based in Paris, is Europe’s largest asset manager and ranks among the top 10 globally*, with over $2.01 trillion under management across six main investment hubs (as of 6/30/22).

Amundi US is committed to delivering competitive, high quality investment products that we believe can stand the test of time. We offer a broad and diversified range of innovative fixed income, equity and multi-asset solutions that can satisfy real investment needs in changing market environments. Amundi US manages approximately $84.64 billion in the US as of June 30, 2022.

Our purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As the largest DC investment-only provider,* we are solely focused on serving over 80,000 DC plans, reaching more than 40 million participants with high-quality investment solution designed to help people achieve their retirement goals.

Today, we continue our history of innovation and thought leadership as we work to pioneer the next generation of retirement solutions, plan design analytics and participant communications. Our commitment to our clients’ best interests is why BlackRock is trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm in the world, with $7.96 trillion in assets under management.**

* By AUM as reported in the 2022 PLANADVISOR DCIO Survey released in June 2022, with data as of 12/31/21

** BlackRock, September 30, 2022

Broadridge, a global Fintech leader with $5 billion in revenue, provides communications, technology, data and intelligence. We help drive business transformation for our clients with solutions for enriching client engagement, navigating risk, optimizing efficiency and generating revenue growth.

Our integrated platforms translate data into insights and streamline the investment lifecycle. Touching 90% of global mutual fund flows, we are uniquely positioned to help asset managers get ahead of today’s challenges and capitalize on what’s next.

Charles Schwab Trust Bank offers retirement plan trust and custody services to more than 140 third-party administrators, independent record-keepers, advisors and plan sponsors.

CSTB has more than $132 billion in custodied/trusteed assets (Feb. 2020) and hosts over 16,000 retirement plan level accounts on our platform.

Congruent Solutions is a specialist technology solutions and outsourced plan administration services provider to the Retirement Plan industry in the US. We help plan providers, record keepers, and TPAs to be ready for tomorrow and provide a better experience to Sponsors and Participants.

Our CORE suite of retirement plan solutions is cloud-based and modular. Built on contemporary technology, they empower the industry by reducing the TCO of IT and infrastructure by up to 50%. They address the challenge of the ever-increasing squeeze on margins while providing a better customer experience (CX) to sponsors and participants. Our plan administration services provide comprehensive transaction and administrative services through the entire plan administration life cycle. We also help you manage the seasonal workload during Form 5500 and Compliance Testing season. Your expensive resources can then focus on servicing your clients.

Our deep domain expertise, robust & secure infrastructure, and trained resources make us the partner of choice for the Retirement Plan industry.

Congruent Solutions
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Sponsor

Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) is a 501(c)(3) public-private, nonprofit collaboration created to meet the challenges facing millions of individuals and businesses affected each and every day by cybercrime. We strive to follow these guiding principles in all we do:

Bring a voice to, and serve the victims of, cybercrime
Work within existing law enforcement and victim assistance systems to enhance services and collaboration
Promote education and awareness for all citizens
Ensure victims are connected to local, state, and federal law enforcement when needed
Create a robust and uniform national database of cybercrime data

At Empower, we provide banks, insurance companies, brokerage firms, mutual fund companies, asset managers, and partners of all sizes with retirement plan recordkeeping services and solutions for their customers.

We work on your behalf to deliver thought leadership, implement best practices, and influence Washington to bring about positive legislative and regulatory change in the retirement industry.

We offer our comprehensive menu of services and products to meet your unique needs. In addition, our helpful support team is here to exceed your expectations. We own and maintain our flexible, scalable, and secure recordkeeping platform to deliver convenience and peace of mind to both you and your customers.

As your private-label partner, we work behind the scenes to empower you to maintain your autonomy, build your brand equity, and grow your client relationships and your business.

Empower
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Sponsor

Enterprise Iron was founded in 2002 by senior executives from Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch to serve public and private clients in Financial Services, Retirement Services and the Government sector. We deliver impactful Business, Technology and Workforce Solutions that achieve meaningful outcomes, resolve complex challenges, and optimize operations to help drive your business forward.

Our Team of industry professionals average 18+ years of experience in financial services production, technology operations, product management, technology development, implementation, and support roles. As a client-focused, independent provider, we expertly provide unbiased, best of breed support and solutions that consistently delivers results for clients on time and at a cost-savings.

Expertise. Focus. Strength.

Enterprise Iron
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Sponsor

FIS is transforming the way the retirement industry operates at every level, offering a suite of capabilities and services that empower retirement plan providers around the globe. Our industry-leading, scalable ecosystem is intelligent, widely configurable and fully connected, offering a range of flexible solutions and services that supports all aspects of your business and positions you for future growth. With our secure, advanced capabilities, you can increase your flexibility and broaden your reach in the financial world.

FIS
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Exhibitor

Everything we do at Franklin Templeton is focused on delivering better client outcomes. It’s why we’ve built a world-class investment firm that aims to offer the best of both worlds: global strength and boutique specialization.

Franklin Templeton brings together an unmatched collection of independent specialist investment managers to provide their clients deep expertise and specialization—within and across asset classes, investment styles, and geographies. And they offer hundreds of strategies across active, smart beta and passive approaches—in a full range of vehicles.

IPX Retirement, formerly FPS Group, is a leading provider of trust, custody, IRA, and recordkeeping services to the retirement plan industry. Our innovative multi-vendor, multi-provider approach delivers superior value for financial advisors, plan sponsors, investment providers, TPAs, and the Investors they serve.

Visit ipxretirement.com/ for more information.

PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), ranks among the top 10 largest asset managers in the world2 with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2021. With offices in 17 countries, PGIM’s businesses offer a range of investment solutions for retail and institutional investors around the world across a broad range of asset classes, including public fixed income, private fixed income, fundamental equity, quantitative equity, real estate and alternatives. For more information about PGIM, visit pgim.com.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) of the United States is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc, incorporated in the United Kingdom, or with Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G plc, incorporated in the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

1 PGIM DC Solutions does not establish or operate pension plans. PGIM DC Solutions is a Delaware limited liability company, a direct wholly owned subsidiary of PGIM Quantitative Solutions LLC, and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of PGIM, Inc., the principal asset management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) of the United States of America. PFI of the United States is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc, incorporated in the United Kingdom, or with Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G plc, incorporated in the United Kingdom. PGIM DC Solutions is not currently registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. As of the date of this material, PGIM DC Solutions does not manage any assets.

2 Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) is the 10th largest investment manager (out of 477 firms surveyed) in terms of global assets under management based on Pensions & Investments’ Top Money Managers list published on May 31, 2021. This ranking represents global assets under management by PFI as of Dec. 31, 2020.

PIMCO is one of the world’s premier fixed income investment managers. With our launch in 1971 in Newport Beach, California, PIMCO introduced investors to a total return approach to fixed income investing.

Our leadership in fixed income and record of skillfully navigating global financial markets has made us ideally equipped to help all our partners in their efforts to achieve meaningful retirement savings and sustainable retirement income.

PIMCO’s dedicated DC and solutions teams support retirement advisors through all phases of plans and investment design – from the QDIA to retirement income – with the goal of delivering optimal, risk-managed investment solutions.

SS&C Retirement Solutions offers a highly configurable set of solutions that allows our clients to provide competitive products and services across all retirement market segments. Our offerings span all plan and investment types and include recordkeeping services, rollover and income portability, plan health and analytics, advisor practice management, personalized education and communications, and financial wellness solutions.

With ownership and expertise across the retirement ecosystem, backed by our unwavering focus on quality, risk mitigation and client satisfaction ensures that we are a high-value, cost-effective, and truly strategic partner.

SS&C
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Sponsor

TIAA is a Fortune 100 financial services organization dedicated to helping our clients pursue financial well-being. We were founded more than a century ago as the vision of one of history’s great philanthropists, Andrew Carnegie, to make a difference in the lives of teachers. Since then, we have helped millions at academic, medical, research and cultural organizations — the people whose work makes the world a better place — retire with financial confidence.

With approximately 15,400 employees in 237 offices and 26 countries, our philosophy and long-term approach seeks to benefit the five million people and more than 15,000 institutions we serve. Today, we are a global asset manager with $1.2 trillion in assets under management.1 Our offerings include:

A long-term investment strategy: Our plan and product offering is focused on delivering on the retirement continuum. Our active investment approach seeks to protect principal and deliver a competitive rate of return over the long term. We offer a mix of products –including fixed and variable annuities, mutual funds and target-date funds.
Broad product and service offering: TIAA delivers a range of investment choices, products and services that our clients and participants have demanded.
Exceptional value: We leverage our knowledge and experience to provide retirement solutions that can lead to guaranteed income for life in retirement.2 And we keep our fees low. In fact, our fees are among the lowest cost in the industry.3

As we pursue performance that can help drive better outcomes for our clients, we are committed to growing, innovating, continually improving and building on our proud history of diversity and inclusion. TIAA is recognized as one of DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies4and one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere.5 Please visit TIAA.org for addition details.

As of June 30, 2022, assets under management across Nuveen Investments affiliates and TIAA investment management teams are $1,222 billion.
Any guarantees under annuities issued by TIAA are subject to TIAA’s claims-paying ability.
Based on Morningstar Direct (as of June 30, 2022) expense comparisons by category, excluding Money Market products. Actual percentage is 88.4%. TIAA-CREF mutual fund and CREF variable annuity products are subject to various fees and expenses, including but not limited to management, administrative, and distribution fees; our variable annuity products have an additional mortality and expense risk charge. Excludes the class W shares, which are not available for purchase by retail investors.
One of DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for the tenth year in a row, 2013-2022.
2015 -2022. The World’s Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient® (EQ) framework which offers a quantitative way to assess a company’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process. The full list of the 2022 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be found at: https://www.worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees

TIAA
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Sponsor

TRAU in collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education offer the Certified 401(k) Professional Designation – C(k)P.

The C(k)P Designation represents a significant achievement for professional retirement plan advisors and professionals. This comprehensive and highly specialized certification program requires academic aptitude, real-world experience and application of core competencies. Virtual in Nov 2021, returning to UCLA campus in 2022 Spr/Sum & Fall.

Fred Barstein at SPARK Forum 2019

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 50 years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

The World Gold Council is the market development organization for the gold industry. The membership of the World Gold Council includes the world’s leading and most forward-thinking gold mining companies.. Our purpose is to stimulate and sustain demand for gold, provide industry leadership and be the global authority on the gold market.

We develop gold-backed solutions, services and products, based on authoritative market insight and we work with a range of partners to put our ideas into action. As a result, we create structural shifts in demand for gold across key market sectors. We provide insights into the international gold markets, helping people to understand the wealth preservation qualities of gold and its role in meeting the social and environmental needs of society.

For insights and data on the gold market, please visit goldhub.com.

World Gold Council
SPARK Advisory Board & Conference Sponsor

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