Live Webinar: Plan Sponsor Pitfalls: What You Need to Know
National PELRA will send the Zoom Webinar link 24-36 hours prior to the event
1:00pm ET | 12:00pm CT | 11:00am MT | 10:00am PT
Pricing
If you are a member: You MUST be logged in to purchase a member rate registration and only ONE member registration can be purchased. If registering multiple members, you MUST log in under each member SEPARATELY. Non-members can be purchased in addition to a member rate.
If you are still having difficulty, please get in touch with Kelsia Buxton at educate@npelra.org
In today’s increasingly complex retirement plan landscape, the Plan Sponsor’s role as a fiduciary is more fraught than ever before. Let’s discuss the fiduciary’s responsibilities and how to maintain your plan’s compliance.
Presenters:
Ken Mergen, President
Ken Mergen works with plan sponsors to implement innovative plan design, investment solutions, and participant wellness and advisory services that drive better employee retirement outcomes. He also supports RPA’s financial advisors in the delivery of participant services. Ken co-leads RPA’s Plan Consulting Committee and is a member of the firm’s Leadership Team. He is engaged in developing RPA’s strategic direction, attracting and retaining strong team members, and maintaining the firm’s position as an industry leader.
Ken began working in the retirement plan industry in 1995, first in plan operations at Merrill Lynch, then ultimately managing their group retirement plan call center. In 1999, he moved to The Hartford’s Retirement Solutions Group and set off on his journey of serving public sector employers and employees. There he led the sales, management, and distribution of defined contribution retirement plans in the governmental, not-for-profit, and tax-exempt marketplace in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.
In 2014, Ken joined RPA, proudly supporting the firm’s mission to help working Americans who have dedicated themselves to public service plan for a financially secure retirement. Ken is a proponent of engaging participants to take a more active role in their retirement savings, and of applying behavioral economics. He believes that once plan sponsors and participants understand how individual investors’ habits and emotions affect their financial choices, they can positively impact participants’ retirement readiness.
Ken regularly speaks on retirement readiness topics. He is an active member of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), including NAPA’s DC Fly-In Forum, where he supports industry lobbying efforts on important legislation affecting retirement plans. He also is involved in multiple Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) state chapters.
Ken is a graduate of Rutgers University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. He holds FINRA Series 7, 26, 63, and 66 registrations. Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Darren Doughty, Director of Group Retirement Plans
Darren Doughty works with plan sponsors to implement innovative plan design, investment solutions, and participant wellness and advisory services that drive better employee retirement outcomes. He also actively educates financial advisors on the public sector retirement plan market, and partners with them to pursue and earn this business in their local communities.
Darren’s extensive professional experience includes investments, capital markets, behavioral finance, and related topics. Before joining RPA in 2021, he spent over 20 years with global asset manager Franklin Templeton, most recently as a Senior Advisor Consultant partnering with licensed financial advisors across northern New England. Prior to Franklin Templeton, he held positions in mortgage and credit financing with several notable firms.
Darren holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 63, and 65 registrations and the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) license. Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.