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.
Since 2006, we have challenged our partners and clients to think differently about the employee benefits landscape.
A little excerpt on the first 100 trading days of 2022 from Bespoke, my favorite market newsletter:
“While everyone knows that the U.S. equity market has performed horribly in 2022, did you know that it has actually been the second-worst first 100 trading days in a year since the five-day trading week began in late 1952? Through early trading today (5/25), the S&P 500 is down 17.3% YTD, which ranks second only to 1970 for the worst start to a year when the index declined 23.7% in the first 100 trading days. Not only that, but this year has seen the worst start on record for both the Nasdaq (since 1972) and the Russell 2000 (1979), which have declined by 27.9% and 21.4%, respectively.”
After reading that, my first thought was: Are things really that bad to warrant what, collectively, is the worst start to a year in stock market history?
We have relayed this message in the past: Wall Street hates uncertainty, and, right now, we seem to have an unlimited supply of it – uncertainty regarding inflation, uncertainty regarding Fed policy and interest rates, uncertainty surrounding when the supply chain will remedy itself, uncertainty regarding whether the Federal Reserve can engineer a soft landing for the economy, and uncertainty regarding China’s ability to control the virus and keep its economy running, which continues to compound the world’s supply chain issues. All of these uncertainties are on top of the unknowns surrounding Russia and the war in Ukraine.
AFS 401(k) Retirement Services is thrilled to publicize that our lead adviser, Alex Assaley was named a top retirement plan advisor by PLANADVISOR.
Since 2013, this designation has been awarded to the top 100 retirement plan advisers and teams based on quantitative measures such as the most plans and assets under advisement. This year, PLANADVISER made a significant change, limiting how large a team could be for consideration—eliminating national-type firms that traditionally had met the eligibility for a “Mega Team”.
At this year’s NAPA 401(k) Summit, the nation’s largest and most prestigious conference for retirement plan advisors and industry leaders, our Managing Principal, Alex Assaley took to the stage to give his final Presidential remarks and share a special story of one of his proudest moments as a retirement plan advisor. You can watch the live presentation below or read through the video transcript.
Alex, as the 2021-2022 President of NAPA.
Many organizations who aren’t acquainted with financial wellness programs have a tough time understanding how it can benefit their employees, and that’s ok. We all begin at different stages. However, if you’re reading this article, then hopefully you’ve already seen the positive effects a program can have on your employees. So, we then ask you, when was the last time you evaluated your financial wellness program provider or advisor? Here is a mini-guide with questions to ask to ensure you are in good hands with your financial wellness benefit offerings.
BETHESDA, MD — AFS 401(k) Retirement Services has been named to the National Association of Plan Advisors’ list of the nation’s top defined contribution (DC) Advisor Teams with Assets under Advisement of $100 Million.
Unlike other lists, this focuses on individual firms, or what may, in a wirehouse environment, be referred to as a team, or office, and the assets under advisement related to their defined contribution (DC) practice, specifically in a single physical location. The inaugural list was published in 2017.
Every year, companies and organizations are required to complete their plan's annual compliance testing. These tests are performed to ensure all employees of the organization are receiving the appropriate benefits, and that employers are adhering to ERISA and IRS rules and regulations governing retirement plans.
While many organizations go through the proper protocols and steps to a “T,” they still can run into issues that may keep them from passing all the required compliance tests. However, it’s important to keep in mind that failing shouldn’t always be seen as a negative. Typically, it means you have a minor setback that has delayed your eventual passed test, or you simply maximized your plan’s benefit offering. If you find your company has failed any of the required compliance tests, what steps can you take to amend the results?
As retirement plan advisors, we’re often asked about how to evaluate a financial advisor so here are five questions from our team to ask yourself and ensure your current advisor is adequate for your financial life. The beginning of the year is a perfect time to check in on your financial life to ensure you are on target with your financial goals and initiatives. A respectable advisor will have you feeling confident in how your financial life is progressing, and assessing your financial life goes together with evaluating your advisor.