The RPAG Scoop | June 2024

It has officially been ONE YEAR since the release of the inaugural RPAG Scoop! We have come a long way since then, and we figured that in honor of this event, we would give the Scoop a little makeover. This month we have the Top 10 Resources at RPAG, a look at how retirement planning rules could be affected with the upcoming election, an exclusive interview for PGIM's strategy for their Core Plus CIT, and two great educational assets from Alliance Bernstein.

Top 10 RPAG Resources! (0:49) 
To kick off our one-year anniversary, our Chief Relations Officer, Veronica Lee, thought it would be fun to give our viewers a "Top 10 Resources" List.

1. The RPAG Support Team. Available for you Monday thru Thursday 7:30 a.m. PT to 4:30 p.m. PT., this team can answer any question that you have about your business, from investment lineups to marketing and ERISA. You can call us at 949.305.3859 or email support@rpag.com.
2. Monthly newsletters and memos. With fresh content available monthly, these can be found in the Resource Center and are eligible for auto-branding with a Premium Marketing membership. 
3. RPAG University and our Milestone Program. These are built for people who want to ensure that they are well versed in all things RPAG. Usually utilized by newer members or new employees of current members, these resources go hand in hand so you can be aware and understand every tool that is available in the RPAG Portal.
4. Consultant RFP Response (Provider Questionnaire) - with our RFP team creating over 600 RFP responses over the past 10 years, we decided it was time to create a template with answers to almost every question that a plan sponsor could ask. This is only available to Premium Marketing members, so reach out to support to sign up now, or find out if you already have it but need it to be activated.
5. Hosted Webinars and Webinar Kits. Also available for Premium Marketing members, the webinar kits give you everything you need to run your own webinar. If you don't feel like hosting one yourself, we do them for you four times a year.
6. Recordkeeper Contacts. Having trouble with a certain fund and you need to talk to someone a little higher up than just their basic support line? We have contacts with all of the major recordkeepers and can connect you with them!
7. Stable Value Analyzer. Helps you put together an analysis of the different stable value options. This is where you conduct your due diligence on funds in retirement plans.
8. CITs. When RPAG sees top tier funds from different money managers, we reach out and have those same managers create exclusive CITs for our members for a deducted price.
9. Custom TDF Comparisons. Although we have the TDF Analyzer, if you would like a custom comparison of TDFs, you can reach out to our support team and we can handle that for you!
10. RPAG National Conference. Every September, we host a 3-Day event on the coast of sunny California where you get to learn and exchange ideas with your peers while enjoying the breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. To learn more about the conference, click here.

Election 2024: Retirement Policy Issues in Play (16:31) 
Mike Barry, an ERISA team member at the Retirement Learning Center, gave us some great insight as to what the upcoming election could mean for retirement policies. He went through issues without bipartisan support. For the democrats, this included the Neal Auto IRA/Plan proposal, cap retirement accounts/closing back door IRAs, and an increase in tax rates. For Republicans, this means back off of advice fiduciary rule and modifying ESG rules.

PGIM's Core Plus CIT Strategy (31:51)
Our Chief Investment Officer, Jeff Elvander had a conversation with Mike Collins, the portfolio manager at PGIM, on their total returns strategy for their Core Plus CIT. This strategy's impressive results convinced RPAG that we needed them to create the Core Plus exclusive CIT. Mike describes their approach as focusing on generating diverse returns across various market cycles. PGIM has the largest research team in the global public fixed income sector, which helps them find the best opportunities. They manage factors like duration and credit risk, and use a detailed security selection process, aiming to match the aggregate bond index while adding extra returns. With a team of over 400 investment experts, PGIM leverages the analytical strength of multiple groups to handle their broad multi-sector portfolio. They use a custom-built risk management system, overseen by more than 70 risk specialists, to ensure diverse return sources and reduce concentration risk.

Alliance Bernstein with the Retirement Planning Assist (45:25)
Lou Sideropoulos, the lead for the Retirement Sales team at Alliance Bernstein, pulls out the resources that Alliance Bernstein and other managers have that can assist you in tackling some of your retirement planning challenges. They have a group called the Advisor Institute that has a library of programs (videos, blogs, whitepapers) that overlays behavioral science, marketing and communication with the different challenges our industry faces. This program takes a different approach by making sure the advisors understand why they would take a certain approach for a challenge which increases their probability for success. Their most popular tool, however, is the Effective Market Review which is available in a white paper or podcast version. You'll get to see their economic perspectives around the capital markets ranging from the U.S. housing market to the impact of artificial intelligence. If you're interested, you can find all of these resources on ABfunds.com. 

Thank you for watching the anniversary edition of The RPAG Scoop. See you next month on July 1!

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