Smart401k - In the News

Wall Street Journal: Voices, December 2010

2011-08-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple expresses his opinion on the need to engage participants in the retirement planning process.

Read the article here>

Employee Benefit News, April 2011

2011-04-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple provides guidance on offering participant advice in this Benefits TV video. Watch here>>

News Release, April 2011

2011-04-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

Smart401k Partners with vWise to Bring Investment Advice to SmartPlan Enterprise Plan Participant Engagement System. Read more here>>

Employee Benefit News, April 2011

2011-04-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Andrea Davis interviewed Scott Holsopple for her feature article, "Annuities striking out among employers, employees" in the April issue of Employee Benefits News. Read the article>>>

PLANSPONSOR.com, April 2011

2011-04-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple provides insights on evaluating advice providers in this article from Louis Berney. Read the article>>

MarketWatch, April 2011

2011-04-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Are target-date mutual funds the best option for retirement investors? Scott Holsopple provides his thoughts on the use of target-date mutual funds in this article from Andrea Coombes. Read the article>>

InvestmentNews, March 2011

2011-03-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple weighs in on the article, "Planned auto-IRA bill will test mood of Congress" by Mark Schoeff Jr. Read the article>>

KansasCity.com, March 2011

2011-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Kansas City Star published an article by Scott Holsopple, "Money Matters: Senate proposal would give clearer picture of retirement savings." Read the article>>

InvestmentNews, March 2011

2011-03-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple led a panel discussion with David Stofer, SageView Advisory Services, at ASPPA's annual 401(k) summit on March 7, 2011. The discussion spoke to the growing need to provide participant-level advisory services for Plan Sponsors. Read more>>

The Street, February 2011

2011-02-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple shared his thoughts on communicating post-retirement income in The Street's article "The Scary Plight of Going Broke in Retirement." Read more here>>

Fox Business, February 2011

2011-02-11T06:55:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple provides insights into making the most of your 401(k) on Fox Business The Willis Report. Watch the interview>>

The Street, February 2011

2011-02-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple provides an unbiased look at offering in-plan annuities to retirement investors in Joe Mont's article "In-Plan Annuities Could Fit Into 401(k)s." Read the article>>

International Business Times, January 2011

2011-01-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

Smart401k's president and CEO, Scott Holsopple, provides tips on retirement planning in Vince Calio's article "Four fool-proof tips on planning the perfect retirement from Smart401k." Read the full article>>

CNBC, December 2010

2010-12-30T12:05:00.000-08:00

Watch the CNBC Squawk on the Street interview with Scott Holsopple as he outlines questions retirement plan investors should ask themselves as they ring in the New Year. Watch here>>

Wall Street Journal: Voices, December 2010

2010-12-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple expresses his opinion on the need to engage participants in the retirement planning process. Read The Wall Street Journal: Voices article here>>

The Aspen Business Journal, December 2010

2010-12-28T06:44:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple explains what investors need to know about Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs) in their retirement plans. Read the article>>

SmartMoney.com, December 13, 2010

2010-12-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k CEO, was quoted in Sarah Morgan's SmartMoney article, New Worries for 401(k) Investors, encouraging investors to stay actively involved in their work retirement plan. Read the article>>

FOX Business, December 2, 2010

2010-12-07T09:02:00.001-08:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president and CEO was interviewed on FoxBusiness.com LIVE discussing tips to keep retirement planning efforts on track. Watch the interview here>>

Good Day Philadelphia, December 1, 2010

2010-12-02T06:58:00.001-08:00

Scott Holsopple, president and CEO, was interviewed on the Fox morning show Good Day Philadelphia about the biggest mistakes investors make in retirement planning and easy-to-follow ways to avoid these mistakes. Watch the interview.

Bankrate.com, November 30, 2010

2010-11-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president and CEO, was inteviewed by Jennie L. Phipps of Bankrate.com for the article Get your 401(k) ready for 2011. Among the tips Scott recommends for all retirement plan investors - make sure to have a strategy to reach retirement goals. Read more tips in the article.

401khelpcenter.com, November 1, 2010

2010-11-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

401khelpcenter.com announced the inclusion of Smart401k in the CFDD in-plan participant advice research project. Read more about the analysis>>

MoneyRates, October 25, 2010

2010-10-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president and CEO, is a guest contributor for the MoneyRates series on retirement planning. Read his article, Who wants to be a millionaire--in retirement? Saving in your 20s and 30s, here>>>

MoneyRates, October 18, 2010

2010-10-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president and CEO, will be a featured guest contributor to the MoneyRates series, 10 steps to a comfortable retirement. In celebration of National Save for Retirement Week MoneyRates invited ten financial professionals to discuss various retirement savings topics. Learn more here>>

CFDD 2010 Conference

2010-10-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare, Smart401k co-founder and chairman, will speak as part of a panel at the Center for Due Diligence 2010 conference in Chicago on Thursday, October 7. The session, Participant Advice Solutions: What's Working, What's Coming & How Will It Be Delivered? is scheduled for 4:30 Central in the International Ballroom.

Kiplinger, September 2010

2010-09-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Smart401k is mentioned in the October 2010 Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine feature article, "Fix Your 401(k)." Read the entire article explaining how to take advantage of the 401(k) feature offered by employers and how maximize the experience with some simple changes.

Smart401k Releases Continuing Education Webinar, August 2010

2010-08-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Smart401k released a new continuing education webinar in August aimed at 401(k) and defined contribution plan advisers. The course provides an overview of participant investment advice options with consideration for pending legislation and how it may affect current arrangements, as well as an explanation of fiduciary oversight requirements for plan sponsors under each model. Read the article.

Western Benefits Conference

2010-07-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president and CEO, will speak at the Western Benefits Conference in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, July 18 along with Thomas Hoecker, partner, Snell and Wilmer L.L.P. The session, "Participant Advice: What is Permitted?" will outline where we have been, where we are today and where we expect to go with participant advice regulations. Find out more about the conference.

Smart401k Releases New Education Center and Asset Allocation Tool, July 2010

2010-07-13T07:03:00.001-07:00

Smart401k – an online, independent, retirement investment advice service – released two new tools to help investors with retirement planning: the Smart401k Retirement Education Center and the asset allocation tool. Read more here.

The Motley Fool, June 10, 2010

2010-06-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, CEO Smart401k, offers investors an overview of the most common investing mistakes, along with tips on how to get the help needed to avoid "throwing out your retirement funds." Read the article here.

Scott Holsopple Named Smart401k CEO, May 13, 2010

2010-05-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare of Smart401k announced Scott Holsopple will assume the position of chief executive officer immediately. Revare co-founded Smart401k, along with Adam Bold of the nationally syndicated radio show “The Mutual Fund Show,” in 2003. Revare is moving from the position of CEO to chairman.

“We started this company to fill a need in the marketplace. Many retirement plan investors did not become investors by choice, but by accident. There was a need to provide professional investment advice at a reasonable cost to these individuals. We still share this goal,” Revare stated. Read more.

News Release, May 5, 2010

2010-05-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Smart401k focuses May communication on women and investing. Throughout the month Smart401k will emphasize the importance of creating a personal finance and retirement savings strategy. Three individual female investors in various stages of personal finance will share their stories of saving for retirement, what they've learned and how others can use the information to their benefit. Read more.

401kWire.com, May 7, 2010

2010-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, president Smart401k, was quoted in the 401kWire article, "For Participant Advice, Advisors Can't Be All Things to All People. " Holsopple participated in the fi360 National Conference on a panel discussing separating the roles of participant level advice and plan sponsor level advice. "How are you going to prudently select and monitor yourself? What benchmarks are you going to set for success? And, if you don't meet those benchmarks, how are you going to fire yourself?" Holsopple asked in response to plan-level advisors offering participant-level advice.

While the conflict could be managed if the plan sponsor took an active role monitoring the advice provider, Jason Roberts of Reish and Reicher, also on the panel, cautions, "There's no prohibition on it but there's ways you can run afoul." The panel concluded that allowing firms offering participant-level only advice to partner with plan advisers would be of benefit.

CFDD exhibitor interview

2010-05-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare, CEO Smart401k, talks about the need for accessible, easy-to-use advice for retirement accounts. Scott will participate in a panel discussion during the Center for Due Diligence (CFDD) Advisor Conference in October 2010. Listen to the interview.

fi360 conference panel discussion

2010-04-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president, will participate in a panel discussion at the fi360 conference in Orlando, Florida, on Friday, May 7. The discussion will center around 401(k) participant advice with the latest regulatory and legislative overview on this subject. Visit fi360 for more information about this conference.

Plansponsor.com, March 22, 2010

2010-03-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Smart401k releases new retirement planning tool, Retirement Outlook. Read the news release here.

Fund Action, March 15, 2010

2010-03-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare, CEO Smart401k, was asked by Fund Action to provide his perspective on measuring funds based on historical performance. He states fund performance is only one factor to consider. "In general, we do think some fund managers are better than others, and with close monitoring, utilizing the right actively managed funds can be an advantage for a participant," he goes on to say, "there are more important factors to consider for participants like maximizing their savings rate, and matching an asset allocation to the risk level appropriate to them.

Fiduciary News, February 17, 2010

2010-02-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Scott Holsopple was quoted in Chris Carosa's article, Annuities the Next 401k SNAFU? Advisers Offer 6 Reasons Why, about the government's inquiries into including annuities as an option in 401(k) plans. According to Holsopple, unless annuity products are simplified this addition could add to the confusion about 401(k) plans. Read more.

January 2010, Kiplinger

2010-01-20T11:18:00.001-08:00

Scott Holsopple, Smart401k president, is quoted in the February 2010 Kiplinger’s magazine feature article, "5 Steps to Retire When You Want" written by Senior Editor Mary Beth Franklin. Scott explains, using the market downturn as an opportunity to evaluate your current situation and plan changes to benefit your long-term goals can be a benefit to your overall financial strategy.

Kiplinger, January 2010

2010-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Smart401k is mentioned in the Kiplinger article "Retirement iPlan" as a solution to "retool your investments." Mary Beth Franklin, Senior Editor, outlines tips and helpful tools in the creation of a personal retirement plan and lists Smart401k as a more personalized advice solution.
Read the article.

Investment Advisor, December 2009

2009-12-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

In his bylined article, Walking the Fiduciary Line on Retirement, Scott Revare discusses the risk that advisors to 401(k) plans face if they also provide advice to plan participants. Increasing regulatory pressures may result in the requirement that retirement plans and their participants have separate advisors, acting as separate fiduciaries. One solution for broker/dealers and advisors who work with plan sponsors is to provide participant advice through the use of remote RIAs. Read the article.

Forbes.com, Nov. 2, 2009

2009-11-03T05:53:00.000-08:00

Backing Up the Brokers

Brokers who sell retirement savings plans will soon need to meet stricter fiduciary standards for providing information to plan participants. Scott Revare looks at how registered representatives and their broker/dealers will be able to accomplish this Read more.

Investment News, Sept. 20,2009

2009-09-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare was quoted in Sara Hansard’s article Congress to Tackle Rule on Retirement Advice about pending legislation that would require that advice given to 401(k) participants be provided by independent advisors (rather than by brokers affiliated with financial services firms as was proposed by the Bush administration.) According to Revare, many 401(k) plan providers offer a full range of services, including providing fund options, assisting companies in selecting funds in the plan, and participant education. “While in some cases that can be very convenient for the employer, it can also limit their choice,” said Revare. This decision “will force the availability of more choices for different vendors to provide different services within the plan.” Read more.

Village Voice, Sept. 4, 2009

2009-09-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

In his article Labor Day Ideas for Broke Stay-at-Homes, reporter Roy Edroso mentions Smart401k's recommendation that it's a perfect time to review 401(k) goals.

Market Watch, Sept. 4, 2009

2009-09-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Smart401(k) says Labor Day is a Perfect Time to Review 401(k) Goals. Read the news release.

Ignites, July 30, 2009

2009-08-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

Scott Revare’s article, Why 401(k) Advice Reform May Boost Funds, appeared on this subscription-only, mutual fund industry news service. Revare discusses the pending federal legislation regarding advisory services for 401(k) plan participants and plan sponsors. Research shows that few 401(k) participants really understand how to effectively monitor and manage their plan investments. An advice-focused initiative from the government could really help participants and serve to make them more active participants in their plans. While new legislation might initially make things tougher on mutual fund companies, it could ultimately create circumstances that will increase their asset inflows.

401kwire.com, June 23, 2009

2009-07-20T07:50:00.001-07:00

Smart401K is mentioned in An Advice Specialist Reaches Out To Advisors, on this online publication for defined contribution executives. The article announces the hiring of Scott Swezey as a vice president who will focus on advisory firms, broker/dealers and plan providers. According to President Scott Revare, Smart401K is currently working with several defined contribution players, including Gallagher Retirement Services, JP Morgan and SageView Advisory Group.

Wall Street Journal, June 13, 2009

2009-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Smart 401k President Scott Holsopple was quoted in Kelly Greene’s “Ask Encore” column in the Wall Street Journal. In A 401(k) Borrower Can’t Benefit From Fund Losses, Greene’s experts responded to a question about accounting for 401(k) loan defaults when the fund has lost it’s value. Holsopple explained that, “If you can't repay the loan, it would be considered ordinary income on which you would owe income tax, plus a 10% penalty if you are under age 59½.” However, “even if you have a 401(k) loan that goes into default, it won't leave a bad mark on your credit, because you were borrowing from yourself,” he added. Read more.

YouTube.com

2009-06-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Watch this video about Smart401k and learn how they can help you manage your 401k-type plan investments.

News Release, April 23, 2009

2009-05-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

Smart401k® Hires Impact Communications to Promote 401(k) Review Services

Scott Revare, CEO and co-founder of Smart401k® (www.smart401k.com), today announced the hiring of Impact Communications to promote the firm’s advice services for employees who invest in employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Read more.

RetirementRevised.com, April 22, 2009

2009-05-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Scott Holsopple, interviewed for this retirement Web site, addressed the issue of what to do if your employer’s 401(k) has been reduced (but not eliminated.) “…it makes sense to continue contributing to the level of your match. Or, if you’re married, make sure your spouse is contributing enough to get the full employer match.” Read more.

AARP Bulletin, February 2, 2009

2009-05-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare was quoted by journalist David Burge in his article Swallow Hard: What To Do If Hard Times Scramble Your Retirement. Speaking of the trend of struggling corporations to suspend their 401(k) matches, Scott says, “Even though they've taken away the match, you still have to save for retirement. “It makes your portion of the contribution all the more important - and the contribution ceilings are higher than those for IRAs.” With regard to how you invest your contributions, it depends on how much time you have before retirement. "The key thing is how much time you have to wait out this market decline," Revare said. "This is obviously a very severe recession we're in now. Over time, in every other situation we've ever had, the market has eventually reached new highs."

El Paso Times

2009-05-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

El Paso Times, January 11, 2009

In Smart Money Moves for 2009: Get Back to Financial Basics, David Burge offers readers some financial tips. In addition to building an emergency fund and paying off credit card balances, delaying large purchases and continuing to save for retirement. He quoted Scott Revare, who suggests taking a look at your workplace retirement plan sometime soon. Often retirement plans add or drop mutual funds as investment choices at the beginning of the year. “Usually, the new funds coming into a plan are the best-performing funds,” Revare said. “Even the best mutual funds ‘took a beating’ in 2008. What's important is to look at how you're diversified and allocated across different types of funds.”

El Paso Times, January 4, 2009

David Burge’s article Create Emergency Fund, Experts Urge explores ways people can save money, both for emergencies and for retirement. Scott Revare, a frequent expert resource for journalist David Burge, said now is the ideal time to contribute to a retirement savings plan such as a 401(k). “Stock prices for many blue-chip companies are where they were 10 years ago. The ideal time to contribute to your 401(k) is when the market is relatively low. “Stocks are the only thing people don't like to buy when they're on sale.”

El Paso Times, September 21, 2008

In Penalties for Cashing in 401(k) Avoidable, David Burge explores options for what to do with 401(k) investments when changing jobs. Scott Revare, interviewed for the article, said cashing out your 401(k) doesn't make sense financially. The only ‘viable options’ are to roll your money into an IRA, keep it where it is with your old employer's plan or roll it over into your new employer's plan. “It's not an easy decision," Revare said. "There's no slam-dunk answer. We usually counsel people to roll their money into an IRA so they have more fund choices and more control over their account.”

El Paso Times, August 17, 2008

David Burge interview Scott Revare for his article, Despite Tough Times, Keep on Saving. Revare’s advice was to keep on saving, and not to cut back. “It's tax-deferred; it takes less of a bite out of your paycheck than other ways of saving because it's coming out on a pretax basis,” Revare said. “Plus, there's the employer match.”

El Paso Times, July 20, 2008

In Weigh Risks of Stock Market Volatility, journalist David Burge looks at what advisors should do in the emerging bear market. He quotes Scott Revare, who said, “If your time horizon for investing is more than five years and you have a diversified portfolio, ‘stick to your guns.’” He added that if your time horizon is less than five years, you should be in more conservative investments.

El Paso Times, July 13, 2008

Scott Revare was quoted in David Burge’s article, Economy Magnifies Retirement Trepidation. Revare advises against early withdrawals from one’s 401(k) and encourages people not to stop their regular contributions - even during tough times.

Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2006

2009-05-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Smart401k was listed as a resource for consumers in the article More Employers to Offer Advice on 401(k) Plans. The article discussed the legislation that had recently been signed that encouraged employers to offer 401(k) investing advice to their employees.

What’s New in Benefits & Compensation, June 1, 2005

2009-05-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare was quoted in Increasing Employees’ Retirement Savings: Strategies That Work, in this newsletter for corporate benefits managers. “Encouraging folks to budget what they need now makes it easier to get them to set savings agendas, too.”

Doctor’s Digest, June 1, 2005

2009-05-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

In an article comparing the two basic types of retirement savings, Scot Revare advocates the use of a diversified portfolio.

Portland Press Herald, May 17, 2005

2009-05-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

Founder and Chief Investment Officer Scott Revare comments on the common mistakes people make with their 401(k) plans.

The Sacramento Bee, May 15, 2005

2009-05-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare states that individuals must take control of their own retirement planning.

Kiplinger's Money Matters, October 31, 2005

2009-05-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Smart401k was mentioned in an article entitled Paying for 401k Advice Might Just Pay Off as being a resource for people who want help managing their 401k investments and aren’t getting the support they need from online retirement tools or general investing advice. The investors profiled in the article wanted specific recommendations on which of their plan’s funds they should invest in and what the allocations should be - and got that with Smart401k. Read more.

Associated Press, April 24, 2005

2009-05-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Scott Revare offers a few tips for keeping track of your 401(k) investments. The article appeared in over 50 high profile publications across the country.