Category: Finance

Retirement Income Solutions with Nevin Adams (Ep.42)

Retirement Income Solutions with Nevin Adams (Ep.42)

In this episode, Rebecca is honored to welcome Nevin Adams, a legendary figure in the retirement planning industry. With a career spanning nearly five decades, Nevin has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of retirement plans. His wealth of experience and knowledge is undeniable as he shares his insights and future projections.

Dive into the transformative impact of target date funds, the advent of automatic enrollment, and the challenges with retirement income solutions as Rebecca and Nevin discuss:

  • How target date funds have simplified the investment process for 401(k) participants
  • Why automatic enrollment could change significantly increase participation rates
  • Challenges and missed opportunities regarding retirement income
  • Forecasted growth and changes in the 401(k) industry by 2030.
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Nevin Adams:

Connect With Rebecca Hourihan: 

About Our Guest:

Now “retired” (whatever that means), Nevin is the former Chief Content Officer and Head of Retirement Research for the American Retirement Association.  One of the retirement industry’s most prolific writers, these days he’s “retired”, which means he writes less but continues to keep his eye on developments in, and threats to, the nation’s private retirement system.  In addition to helping guide the agenda development for the NAPA 401(k) Summit, he’s also the “Nevin” in the Nevin & Fred podcast (along with renowned ERISA attorney Fred Reish), offering irreverent, but relevant perspectives on the critical issues confronting plan sponsors, advisors, and retirement industry professionals. 

10 Years of Insights: Advisor Retirement Plan Marketing (Ep. 41)

10 Years of Insights: Advisor Retirement Plan Marketing (Ep. 41)

Rebecca Hourihan reflects on a decade of retirement plan marketing. She emphasizes the challenges of change, the evolution of marketing strategies from cold calling to leveraging social media, and the necessity of maintaining a visible and professional online presence. Rebecca also touches on the importance of creating tailored content, and discusses the critical role of effective communication, highlighting the need to provide relevant and timely information without overwhelming the audience. 

This episode is packed with insights and best practices for anyone looking to enhance their expertise and authority in the retirement plan community.

Key takeaways include:

  • The inception of 401(k) Marketing and the significance of tailored messaging for plan sponsors and participants
  • The role of clear and honest communication in building trust and avoiding surprises
  • The necessity of adapting to changing marketing trends and leveraging social media for greater visibility
  • Insights into the ongoing convergence of wealth management and retirement plans
  • And more

Connect With Rebecca Hourihan: 

How to Elevate Your Prospecting and Client Retention with Eric Ryles (Ep. 40)

How to Elevate Your Prospecting and Client Retention with Eric Ryles (Ep. 40)

Did you know that approximately 10-12% of plan sponsors actively shop their plan every year?

Tune in to Rebecca Hourihan’s conversation with Eric Ryles, Vice President, of Customer Solutions at ALM Media, LLC (parent company of Judy Diamond Associates). They explore ways to improve prospecting and enhance client retention, as well as telltale signs a plan sponsor might be at risk of leaving.

Eric and Rebecca discuss:

  • How advisors can utilize the Form 5500 data to gain actionable insights
  • Crucial metrics that may signal a plan’s performance
  • The importance of benchmarking (and the role of Judy Diamond Associates 2023 Annual 401(k) Benchmark Report)
  • Eric’s guidance to advisors looking to differentiate from their competitors
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Eric Ryles:

Connect with Rebecca Hourihan: 

Revolutionizing Payroll Integration with Automation and APIs with Jeff Kayajanian (Ep. 39)

Revolutionizing Payroll Integration with Automation and APIs with Jeff Kayajanian (Ep. 39)

Are you tired of manual payroll processes eating up your time and resources? What if there was an efficient way to streamline payroll integration with your 401(k) recordkeeping?

Learn how Payroll Integrations connects you to leading payroll systems and automates data transfer through APIs. Rebecca Hourihan and guest Jeff Kayajanian, principal and chief revenue officer at Payroll Integrations, have an insightful conversation about the revolution of retirement plan management.

Jeff and Rebecca discuss:

  • The importance of 360 integration in the retirement plan industry
  • Costs and benefits of API integration for employers in a fee-sensitive world
  • Payroll Integration’s partnerships with record keepers and TPAs
  • The future of integrated benefits solutions and simplified participant experiences
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Jeff Kayajanian:

Connect with Rebecca Hourihan: 

What I Learned From 3,000 Podcast Interviews with Matt Halloran of ProudMouth (Ep. 38)

What I Learned From 3,000 Podcast Interviews with Matt Halloran of ProudMouth (Ep. 38)

As advisors continue to seek innovative ways to connect with their audience and establish trust, the challenge of standing out in a crowded market is ever-present.

In this episode, Rebecca Hourihan speaks with Matt Halloran, co-founder of ProudMouth, about the power of podcasting to rise above the noise and establish yourself as the go-to expert. Whether it’s starting a new podcast or honing your interviewing skills as a host, they cover it all.

Matt and Rebecca discuss:

  • What Matt has learned from conducting nearly 3,000 podcast interviews
  • Five questions you can ask someone to earn trust and credibility almost immediately
  • Sneak peek into Matt’s upcoming book, “Shut the F Up and Listen: How to Solve All of the World’s Problems”
  • What separates the most successful advisors from the rest
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Matt Halloran:

Connect with Rebecca Hourihan: 

About Our Guest:

Matt Halloran is a co-founder of ProudMouth, the world’s leading influence accelerator for financial advisors. An in-demand speaker, he’s appeared on over 1,000 podcasts. As well, Matt is the host of ProudMouth’s Top Advisor Marketing Podcast, where he and industry leaders empower advisors to become trusted, recognized authorities. Matt is the author of “The Social Media Handbook for Financial Advisors,” the first social media book for financial services. 

Fred Barstein Explores What If Plan Fees Go to Zero? (Ep. 37)

Fred Barstein Explores What If Plan Fees Go to Zero? (Ep. 37)

Can the convergence of wealth, retirement, and workplace benefits pressurize 401(k) plan fees to fall to zero? And are you prepared if it does?

In this episode, Rebecca Hourihan speaks with Fred Barstein, the founder & CEO of The Plan Sponsor University (TPSU), The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU), and 401kTV and they discuss an alternative universe where 401(k) fees no longer exist. 

Fred and Rebecca discuss:

  • Major factors contributing to the convergence of wealth and retirement
  • Challenges and opportunities arising from such convergence
  • What happens when recordkeepers work directly with participants and, possibly, compete with advisors
  • The potential impact of blockchain technology in revolutionizing the industry
  • How fee compression may affect new entrants
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Fred Barstein:

Connect with Rebecca Hourihan: 

About Our Guest:

Fred Barstein is the Founder and CEO of The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU), a collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, and The Plan Sponsor University (TPSU).  Founded in 2010, TRAU has quickly become the industry’s leading training and designation program for focused Defined Contribution (DC) advisors and professionals dedicated to helping them build a sound and sustainable practice while improving plan outcomes for clients.  TPSU trains and certifies employers managing their retirement plans leveraging a standardized curriculum and highly qualified local advisors to deliver on-site programs. In addition, Fred is the Founder of NAPA Net, the Daily newsletter, and NAPA Net – The Magazine, all part of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) for which he serves as an Industry Ambassador.

It’s All In the Details: Can Micro-Interactions Make or Break Trust? (Ep. 36)

It’s All In the Details: Can Micro-Interactions Make or Break Trust? (Ep. 36)

You never get the chance to redo a first introduction, so make sure you can control as much of it as you can!

In this episode of the 401(k) Marketing Podcast, Rebecca Hourihan shares her recent encounter with a local attorney, which highlighted the profound impact of seemingly minor details during a first meeting. The episode explores key lessons for advisors to build and maintain client trust.

Rebecca discusses:

  • How micro-interactions can make or break the trust of a client or prospect
  • Incremental adjustments to improve your onboarding process
  • The escalating need for robust cybersecurity measures
  • Her views on regaining trust after a mistake
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Rebecca Hourihan: 

SMART Strategies for a Year-End Review and 2024 Kickoff (Ep. 35)

SMART Strategies for a Year-End Review and 2024 Kickoff (Ep. 35)

Advisors, are you ready to wrap up 2023 with an insightful year-end review and kick off 2024 with a SMART action plan?

In this episode of the 401(k) Marketing Podcast, Rebecca Hourihan shares ideas and suggestions for a productive year-end evaluation of your business.

Rebecca discusses:

  • The first step for a comprehensive year-end review
  • The importance of SMART goals (with examples for retirement plan advisors)
  • Actionable ideas to improve accountability and avoid running off-track
  • Why you should incorporate client feedback in your evaluation process
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Rebecca Hourihan: 

Elevating Advisor Standards Through CEFEX Certification with Carlos Panksep (Ep. 34)

Elevating Advisor Standards Through CEFEX Certification with Carlos Panksep (Ep. 34)

In financial services, trust is paramount. Certification programs are a great way to strengthen your client’s trust and stand out to plan sponsors!

In this episode of the 401(k) Marketing Podcast, Missy Schoedel speaks with Carlos Panksep, Vice President at Broadridge and General Manager at the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX). They highlight the benefits of CEFEX certification for retirement plan advisors.

Carlos Panksep discusses:

  • The significance of getting certified
  • CEFEX’s rigorous assessment process (and how it helps improve the internal processes in your practice)
  • How to effectively incorporate your certification into your marketing
  • CEFEX’s new DOL cybersecurity verification
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Carlos Panksep:

Connect With Missy Schoedel: 

About Our Guest:

Carlos Panksep is VP, CEFEX at Broadridge Financial Solutions. He is responsible for operations for CEFEX’s global assessment and certification programs, including a network of analysts. Carlos ensures the integrity of the CEFEX brand and the adherence to the principles of the international standard for performing certification assessments: ISO/IEC 17021. 

Carlos is from QMI, a division of the Canadian Standards Association, where he was responsible for Corporate Operations, including registration, certification, continual improvement, information technology and international operations. Carlos brings to CEFEX the management skills required to run an independent third-party registration program, similar in design to ISO 9001. This includes the assurance of audit quality control, audit consistency, customer satisfaction monitoring and information transparency.

Carlos also has over 20 years of high-tech management experience. He held senior product management, sales and marketing positions at Bell Canada, Canada’s largest telecommunications company. He has also managed a very small high-tech start-up during the dot-com boom. Carlos has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. He is active in sports, music, and photography. He lives in Toronto, is married and has 2 sons.

Powerful Branding Strategies for 401(k) Advisors (Ep. 33)

Powerful Branding Strategies for 401(k) Advisors (Ep. 33)

A consistent brand that resonates with clients translates into greater influence, business opportunities, and profitability. But how do you build one?

In this episode of the 401(k) Marketing Podcast, Rebecca Hourihan shares actionable strategies to build a strong brand presence in a competitive marketplace. She also talks about creating and implementing a long-term marketing strategy to scale your business.

Rebecca discusses:

  • What it takes to rise above the noise (on average, we’re exposed to 10,000 ads daily!)
  • How to align your personal and corporate brand with authenticity
  • Key elements of an effective marketing strategy 
  • Two questions to kickstart marketing strategy conversations in your firm (some of 401(k) Marketing’s secret sauce!)
  • Creating a 360-degree influence
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Rebecca Hourihan: