PLANSPONSOR - March - April 2023 - 2

INSIGHTS
PUBLISHER: Alison Cooke Mintzer
alison.mintzer@issmediasolutions.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: SooJin Chun Buzelli
soojin.buzelli@issmediasolutions.com
Reflections
On 30 Years
P
LANSPONSOR is 30 years old this April-where has the time gone? I've been
here for 20 of those years, and, though there have been changes in nearly
every aspect of plan administration and governance, some of the issues we've
addressed remain, 20 and even 30 years later.
For example, in our first year, we dedicated many pages to global stories, working
out how our pension and 401(k) system fit into the context of the world. There were
articles discussing proper asset allocation for both defined benefit and defined contribution
plans, considerations for 401(k) outsourcing, and numerous articles covering
lawsuits and relevant court decisions-stories that might appear in the lineup now,
as plan sponsors struggle with some of the same big-picture concerns, just with
different nuances.
In discussing this approaching milestone with PLANSPONSOR print Managing
Editor Judy Faust Hartnett and Creative Director SooJin Buzelli, we saw that it was
an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of the industry over these three decades.
We decided to embrace a special format for this anniversary issue. In the pages that
follow, our writers have taken a look forward-i.e., from 1993 to the present-specifically
at how retirement plans, their affiliated components and the industry as a whole
have changed in relation to five areas: Plan Design (page 14), Participants (page 20),
Investments (page 26), Plan Access (page 30) and Governance (page 34).
Of course, not everything that affects retirement plan administration and development
can be covered in these limited pages. The industry is wide-ranging and includes
plan sponsors, recordkeepers, investment managers, plan advisers, consultants, trade
groups, government entities and more, all having contributed to retirement plan management
as we know it today. We highlight what we consider " tipping points, " or influences-
e.g., an act, a plan feature, a vision-that changed a trajectory in each of the five areas.
Plan sponsors in their role now might not realize that so many of the best practices
that help them run their plans didn't exist 30 years ago; these well-thought-out methodologies
are in use today because of legislation or regulation, or the innovation of investment
managers and recordkeepers or the plan sponsor community.
As I've said to nearly everyone who has interviewed for our editorial team over
the years, writing about retirement plans is an amazing opportunity to be at the intersection
of institutional and personal finance, public policy, and regulatory and legislative
change. What we cover-and what you do as plan sponsors-matters materially
to the success of your employees and to our society as a whole.
Plan sponsors across the industry are continually challenged to try to ensure that their
retirement program is the best fit for their company, as well as for the employees and plan
participants-no small feat. I consider myself privileged to be part of PLANSPONSOR as
a source of support and information for you as you do that.
After all, I agree wholeheartedly with the words of our founder, Charles Ruffel,
in PLANSPONSOR's founding issue, April 1993: " Plan sponsors hold the key to society's
dignity, because they protect life after work by ensuring financial security and
health. They secure the future for all of us. " -Alison Cooke Mintzer, Publisher
Note: In our previous issue, we published the DC Survey Best in Class providers. Postpublication,
these were updated, and the correct results are now online at plansponsor.com.
2 PLANSPONSOR.COM March - April 2023
Photo by Matt Kalinowski
MANAGING EDITOR: Judy Faust Hartnett
judy.fausthartnett@issmediasolutions.com
EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PLANSPONSOR.COM:
Amy Resnick, amy.resnick@issmediasolutions.com
EDITORIAL STAFF: Natalie Lin, Paul Mulholland,
Alex Ortolani, Remy Samuels, Karen Wittwer,
Jonathan Yardley, Noah Zuss
CONTRIBUTORS: Beth Braverman, Debbie Carlson,
Elizabeth Harris, Bailey McCann, Judy Ward
SURVEYS AND RESEARCH: Garrett Cox,
Kimberley Gonzalez-Quiles
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION: Donna Bien-Aimé,
Alanna Jacobs, Maria Kofman, Samantha Yu
DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS: Cherese Rambaldi
ART CONTRIBUTORS: Chris Buzelli, Joseph Ciardiello,
Jam Dong, Karlotta Freier, Matt Kalinowski,
Miriam Martincic, OYOW, Simone Virgini,
Gizem Vural, James Yang, Changyu Zou
STRATEGY & OPERATIONS: Michelle Lamison;
Melissa Groccia, Rebecca Moore
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Robert Reif
ADVERTISING SALES: Katie Bacon, John Bennett,
Chris Janos, Bill Murray
advertise@issmediasolutions.com
CONFERENCES: Carol Popkins; Katie Campbell,
Rebecca Fahey, Lucille Velander
ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS: Mayrillane Bahi,
Ruth Fissaha, Ricky Kostik
DEVELOPMENT: Darrell Cheng, Bhakti Patel,
Jigar Patel, Dexter Reaves
CORPORATE OFFICES: 1177 Avenue of the Americas,
14th Floor, New York, NY 10036
PLANSPONSOR (ISSN 1077-1816) is published
six times per year by Institutional Shareholder
Services Inc. (ISS). Standard rate postage paid
at New York, NY, and at additional mailing rate.
PLANSPONSOR is owned by ISS.
PRESIDENT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Gary Retelny
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Allen Heery
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
PLANSPONSOR, P.O. Box 493,
Lincolnshire, IL 60093
REPRODUCTION POLICY: PLANSPONSOR,
Vol. 31, Number 1. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
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to photocopy items for internal or personal use,
or the internal or personal use of specific clients,
is granted by ISS, provided that the appropriate
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©2023. Entire contents copyrighted.

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PLANSPONSOR - March - April 2023

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