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.

Earlier this summer, our team hosted our first virtual “symposium-style” event focused on addressing some of the industry's hot topics and trends, including Financial Wellness in the Workplace; Regulatory and Legislative Initiatives for Retirement and Benefits Plans; and The Future for ESG Investing. While the live event was over six hours long, we have created this series of shorter highlight videos so you can easily digest and use this valuable and informative information within your own organization. 

Our second highlight video series is from the "Understanding ESG Investing" panel moderated by AFS 401(k)'s Managing Principal, Alex Assaley. He sat down with Clarice Avery, VP, Investment Strategist of Natixis Investment Managers, and Katherine Collins, Head of Sustainable Investing of Putnam Investments to talk about ESG investing and what companies should know about ESGs and the future of this investment option. Here are a few of the moments from their session together: 

Earlier this summer, our team hosted our first virtual “symposium-style” event focused on addressing some of the industry's hot topics and trends, including Financial Wellness in the Workplace; Regulatory and Legislative Initiatives for Retirement and Benefits Plans; and The Future for ESG Investing. While the live event was over six hours long, we have created this series of shorter highlight videos so you can easily digest and use this valuable and informative information within your own organization. 

Our first highlight video series is from the "Financial Wellness in the Workplace" panel, moderated by AFS 401(k) consultant Allison Rosenberg. She sat down with two of the area’s top Human Resources leaders – Maggie Crutchfield, Director of Human Resources of the National Women's Law Center, and Felipe Confiño, Vice President, Human Resources & Organizational Development of Signal Financial Federal Credit Union to discuss the strategies and tools they use to engage with their workforce and enhance company culture. Here's are a few of the moments from their session together: 

As the U.S. makes progress on the vaccine rollout, our country’s economy is picking up momentum and slowly but steadily returning to normal. Pending any new setbacks, many large businesses are planning on bringing staff back to the office in September, and on the educational front, it appears schools at all levels are looking to reopen for the fall semester, and that momentum doesn’t look like it will be slowing down. Anecdotally, almost everyone we have spoken to over the past few months has told us that he or she is booking flights and getting his or her travel plans in place for the upcoming summer and fall. The main point: People are eager to return to as much normalcy as possible.