PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - 17

25 YEARS OF RETIREMENT PLANS
THE DYNAMICS AT WORK IN THE RETIREMENT PLAN INDUSTRY
IN THE 25 YEARS SINCE PLANSPONSOR LAUNCHED
THE employer-sponsored retirement plan is considered a fundamental and necessary part of the American
working experience. Multiple studies have shown that, without access to such retirement plans, workers fail to
save in significant amounts elsewhere. Therefore, the creation, evolution, design of, and access to, such plans is
of vital importance for helping Americans have security in their older years.
When PLANSPONSOR was founded in 1993, much like today, there was much debate about whether
defined benefit (DB) or defined contribution (DC) plans were better for employees and sponsoring employers.
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was nearly 20 years old and had, in many ways,
reshaped the employer-sponsored retirement plan. As of 1993, 401(k) plans were not new, but were continuing
their upward momentum in adoption. Defined benefit pensions and the expense they caused the sponsoring
company, as well as the considerations regarding investments within them, were top of mind for their sponsors.
In many ways, some things have remained the same, but, of course, many things have changed considerably
since that first quarterly issue.
In the pages that follow, we highlight 15 of what we think were the major legislative, regulatory, litigational
and technological initiatives and policies that affected the employer-sponsored retirement plan industry over the
past 25 years. Of course there were more, but we had to choose. In each short write-up, we outline the event and
how it affected retirement plans. Often we allude to the sort of repercussions it may have had years later-a bill
is passed in one year, but the full industry influence may not be recognized for some time. -PS
Art by Harry Campbell
PLANSPONSOR.com February-March 2018 17

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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018

25 Years of Retirement Plans
2017 DC Survey: Providers
2018 Best In Class 401(k) Plans
Trends in Risk Assets
What Lower Fees Reveal
Sandwiched Between
Nondiscrimination Testing
PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - Cover1
PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - Cover2
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - 25 Years of Retirement Plans
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - 2017 DC Survey: Providers
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - 2018 Best In Class 401(k) Plans
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - Trends in Risk Assets
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - What Lower Fees Reveal
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - Sandwiched Between
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - Nondiscrimination Testing
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PLANSPONSOR - February/March 2018 - Cover3
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