Bethesda, MD — Alex Assaley and Kevin Phillips of AFS 401(k) Retirement Services recently participated as delegates to the National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) Annual DC Fly-In Forum, an exclusive gathering of the nation’s leading retirement plan advisors.
Delegates to the NAPA DC Fly-In Forum converged in the nation’s capital to listen to and brief top congressional leaders about the impact and importance of the nation’s workplace retirement plans, and, as advocates for the employers and participants they work with, shared how proposed laws and regulations might impact American workers’ retirement security. Assaley and Phillips, members of NAPA, were of approximately 250 delegates selected to participate in the tenth annual NAPA DC Fly-In Forum, held July 26-27.
This year NAPA DC Fly-In Forum delegates heard from Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), each of which have been involved in introducing key retirement legislation this past year. Additionally, Ali Khawar, who has been serving as Acting Assistant Secretary for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) provided insights on issues ranging from the Labor Department’s perspective on a new fiduciary standard, to ESG considerations, to participant data. Zeena Abdul-Rahman, Branch Chief, Investment Company Rulemaking Office, Division of Investment Management at U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shared and helped contrast the work the SEC has done on ESG and reporting transparency, preceded by a special panel of Hill staffers for some “inside the Beltway” perspective, and a panel of expert ERISA litigators that outlined not only the current state of ERISA litigation but proactive steps that can help avoid it.
On the second day of the forum, delegates met one-on-one with their respective congressional representatives on Capitol Hill to share insights from the experiences they have on a daily basis with business owners and plan participants – and to provide perspectives on proposed and current legislation.
In order to participate in the NAPA DC Fly-In Forum, delegates were required to be a NAPA member; to be responsible for $100M+ in plan assets, 10+ plans, and 2,000+ participants; and to have at least five years of experience servicing retirement plans.
The National Association of Plan Advisors was created by and for retirement plan advisors. While membership is open to other retirement industry professionals who support the interests of plan advisors, NAPA – part of the American Retirement Association - is the only advocacy group exclusively focused on the issues that matter to retirement plan advisors. The American Retirement Association, based in the Washington, D.C. area, is a non-profit professional organization established to educate all types of retirement plan professionals and to preserve and enhance the employer-based retirement plan system as part of the development of a cohesive and coherent national retirement income policy.
More information about NAPA is available at napa-net.org.
About AFS 401(k) Retirement Services, LLC
AFS 401(k) Retirement Services is an independent retirement plan advisory firm located in Bethesda, MD, specializing in fiduciary advice, guidance, and counsel to corporation, organizations and their retirement plans, as well as financial advice to working Americans through these employer-based retirement benefits. For more information, please visit www.afs401k.com.
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