RIIA’s spring event looks to ‘discover the new realities of retirement’
Boston, MA (March 6, 2014) The Retirement Income Industry Association’s (RIIA) Spring Conference offers a unique, compelling view into how advisors, institutions, academics, research and technology firms are turning retirement income opportunities into great enterprises.
Hosted by Morningstar at their offices in Chicago, March 17 and 18, attendees will experience cutting edge, relevant thinking and curriculum in retirement income management and planning.
RIIA’s mission is to “Discover the New Realities of Retirement” through its unique value proposition centered around the View Across the Silos. RIIA and its members research, vet and document solutions (tools, products and processes) from all industry silos to create the most objective retirement body of knowledge. This body of knowledge is the foundation of the Retirement Management Analyst [RMA℠] designation. In addition, RIIA makes this information widely available to households, advisors, institutions and regulators through its Fall and Spring events, a monthly Virtual Learning Center webinar program as well as printed publications including the RMA curriculum book, the Retirement Management Journal (RMJ), and the RMA practice manual, all of which can be purchased via Amazon.com.
Helping advisors grow
“In support of our mission and value proposition, RIIA’s body of knowledge helps advisors save time and grow their retirement businesses,” said Francois Gadenne, Chairman and Executive Director of RIIA. The Spring conference provides in-person access to this body of knowledge through our speakers, committees, RMA graduates, sponsors and attendees.“ Defined contribution and retail channels professionals as well as fiduciaries and representatives will find value from the body of knowledge and the conference.
One unique tool that will be discussed at length is the value and power of the Retiree Household Balance Sheet℠ in helping industry leaders drive success in retirement income management. The agenda is focused on:
- Benchmarking and Spending Patterns Using the Retiree Household Balance Sheet℠
- Implications of Social Security and Health Care on the Retiree Household Balance Sheet℠
- Investing Trends for Boomer Retirees and Pre-retirees
Executives from the event sponsors will share their insights and provide networking opportunities, including those from Morningstar (Platinum), Merrill Lynch (Gold), Milliman Financial Risk Management/Even Keel Investment (Gold), Morgan Stanley (Gold), BNY/Mellon (Gold Sponsor for the Retirement Management Journal), New York Life (Silver) and DTCC (Silver).
RIIA guest speakers’ presentations discuss the latest, vetted advances in retirement planning and management. A few of the speakers include:
Matt Greenwald, President and CEO of Greenwald Associates, will present the results of RIIA’s annual benchmarking survey. This survey builds on the advances in the body of knowledge by identifying the current issues faced by financial institutions (members and non-members) and how they respond to them, both organizationally and with marketplace offerings.
Ken Mungan is the leader of Milliman’s Financial Risk Management Practice, which he founded in 1998. Milliman’s FRM Practice has grown to be the industry leader in the management of retirement savings guarantees and now offers a new family of mutual Funds, Even Keel Investments. Milliman’s people, process, and technology currently manage more than $500 billion in account value for more than six million customers. Mungan has pioneered hedging techniques that are standard practice in the industry, today. His current focus is on expanding retirement savings guarantees to new markets and products, including 401(k) plans, IRAs, and protected funds.
Helen Simon, who serves on the faculty of Florida International University in Miami and is CEO of Personal Business Management Services, LLC, a fee-only investment advisory firm, will present her Thought Leadership award-winning RMJ paper where she documents the dramatic implications of the “hyper loss aversion” behavior that affects investors who are near retirement age.
Andy and Susan Stone are retirees who took the RMA℠ course of study in 2012 in order to get access to the body of knowledge because they could not find anything like it anywhere else. This is their second appearance at the annual Spring Conference. They will discuss their on-going experience with the retirement planning and management process and their RMA℠ certified advisor, Dana Anspach.
The conference offers two sessions on the impact of health care on the Retiree Household Balance Sheet℠ of retirees and near-retirees, a key concern of baby boomers. These presentations feature experts from HealthView Services and United Health Care.
In addition, three leading advisors who hold the respected Retirement Management Analyst℠ designation will participate in a panel on how to optimize retiree social capital:
- Craig Adamson, RMA℠, CRC, CRPS, PRP, president of Adamson Financial Planning
- Dana Anspach, RMA℠, Certified Financial Planner®, and a Kolbe Certified™Consultant, the author of Control Your Retirement Destiny: Achieving Financial Security Before the Big Transition (Apress 2013) and founder of Sensible Money, LLC.,
- Michael Lonier, RMA℠, a lifetime financial planner and retirement income specialist leading Lonier Financial Advisory, LLC since 2011 after a 33-year career as a corporate executive in the publishing industry.
For more information on RIIA, its mission and valuable member benefits, visit www.riia-usa.org.
Media Contact: Susie Bumstead Chanley, sbumsteadchanley@comcast.net, 781-587-0115
