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RPAG

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RPAG provides you with the latest industry news, trends, and best practices to help you make informed decisions when it comes to managing your retirement plan. Stay up-to-date on the latest retirement plan topics, including plan design, investment management, fiduciary responsibilities, and compliance issues.
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The RPAG Scoop - Episode 25

The RPAG Scoop - Episode 25

28 min 50 sec
Market Update with our Chief Investment Officer (0:59) Jeff Elvander, RPAG’s Chief Investment Officer, returns for this month’s Scoop to share what he’s seeing in the markets as we approach the midpoint of 2025. Market volatility has been rising, largely driven by investor uncertainty around the current administration’s trade policy and new tariff announcements. That uncertainty has created whiplash in equity markets, with stocks swinging back and forth in reaction to headlines. It’s unclear how this will play out over the rest of the year, but advisors should be prepared to adjust. Underused Public Resources on RPAG.com (11:47) We welcome a new speaker this month on the RPAG Scoop, Carlos Penaloza! He is the Relationship Manager here at RPAG and wanted to show our viewers the underutilized resources available on the RPAG website. He starts by showing the main homepage of the RPAG site. There, you will find who we serve, our annual numbers, as well as links to other pages such as Training & Support, Custom Solutions, and Premier Technology. If you look at the top of the home page at the navigation menu, you can find those categories, plus the About section and our blog. What is a Service Plan and How Do You Implement It? (22:46) As an Advisor Service Trainer, Alexis Patenaude, gets questions and hosts educational meetings with RPAG members every day. This month, her two most highly asked questions were, "What is a service plan?" and "How do I implement a service plan for my clients?" So what is a service plan? According to Alexis, a service plan is a comprehensive overview of the services you provide as well as the dates of service and projected date of delivery. It is completely customizable to each advisor and can be accessed by going through a Client's Plan Page. If you do not have a template, we have created ones for you based on the size of the plan.
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The RPAG Scoop - Episode 24

The RPAG Scoop - Episode 24

21 min 36 sec
Welcome to the RPAG Scoop where we are giving you an investigative look into the retirement industry through the RPAG looking glass. In the May edition of The RPAG Scoop, we have portal hot tips, investment FAQs, PAL insight, and more! Quick Announcements (0:34) Ashley Passow, host of the RPAG Scoop and Senior Marketing Specialist for RPAG, started out with a few quick announcements that members should know about for May. First, don't forget to save the date for our National Conference happening September 29 thru October 1. Next, our offices will be closed on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. Last but certainly not least, we have an upcoming Hosted webinar happening on Tuesday, May 20 with one of our ERISA experts! This is only available for Premium Marketing members, so if you are interested in joining, please reach out to support@rpag.com. RPAG Portal Tips (2:41) Brooke Visagie, an Advisor Service Associate at RPAG, wanted to take over the What's New segment to discuss tips that can make you an RPAG portal expert. During her segment, she shares quick, practical ways to help advisors get more out of the resources they already use. These tips are designed to save time, improve navigation, and help you make the most of the RPAG platform. These tips are especially helpful for new users or anyone looking to sharpen their workflow inside the portal. Investment FAQs (9:06) In this month’s Investment FAQ, Janette Oh answers common questions around how we evaluate asset allocation funds, including target date and risk-based strategies. The segment covers: How RPAG applies a 5-year performance standard and blends quantitative and qualitative analysis to evaluate allocation funds The methodology behind the Asset Allocation Scorecard and Target Date Scorecard How we define allocation categories using 5-year standard deviation What a Style Benchmark is, how it’s built using RBSA (Returns-Based Style Analysis), and the four indices that form its foundation Advisors will walk away with a better understanding of how RPAG’s scoring and benchmarking process helps support fund selection with transparency and consistency. Resources and Accepting PAL Feeds (16:00) As an Advisor Service Trainer, Alexis Patenaude, gets questions and hosts educational meetings with RPAG members every day. This month, her two most highly asked questions were, "What resources are available for PAL?" and "How do I accept a PAL feed?" For resources, you will first go to the Resource Center on the RPAG portal, then find the Plan Asset Link folder. There you will find "How to Accept PAL Links," "PAL Description for Plan Sponsors," and "PAL Overview and Provider List." The first resource gives you step by step instructions for accepting PAL Links, the second is an email template that you can send to your plan sponsors, specifically when you are sending them the PAL consent form to sign. The third document outlines the PAL process as well as shows a list of all providers we have PAL relationships with. Under the PAL folder, you'll find another category called "Provider Consent Forms" which are necessary for a majority of RPAG users to establish a PAL connection. After it is filled out, it can be sent to PAL@rpag.com. The easiest way to accept a PAL feed is going to the plan card of a client/prospect with a PAL connection. Then click on the orange circle indicating action needs to be taken. You then can review the funds and then save the link. For more detailed PAL information, please head to Alexis's recent PAL session here. Thank you for looking at the clues with us this month, we hope you enjoyed learning alongside us. To see next month's, join us Monday, June 2.
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The RPAG Scoop - Episode 23

The RPAG Scoop - Episode 23

21 min 5 sec
Welcome to the RPAG Scoop where we are giving you an investigative look into the retirement industry through the RPAG looking glass. In the April edition of The RPAG Scoop, we have exciting releases, upcoming events, DOL updates, and answers to frequently asked questions! (0:37) Ashley Passow shared April updates: Q1 Scores will release April 15. Fund balances for PAL-linked plans will show by April 20, and for direct data users by month-end. Stable Value fund data will be available 30–45 days after quarter-end, and GIC data in 45–60 days. A webinar on Plan Asset Links with Kristy Smith will be held April 23 at 10 a.m. PT, and past sessions like the 2020 National Conference are available on RPAG’s YouTube channel. (3:23) Melody Ravanipour introduced the new Retirement Technology Partnership Program, connecting members with innovative asset managers and exclusive discounted CIT Strategies. The first exclusive share class, sub-advised by Victory Capital and trusteed by Great Gray Trust Company, is now available. flexPATH sub-advised CITs remain accessible. If you're attending the NAPA 401(k) Summit, visit RPAG at booth #215 and Great Gray at #413 and #414, where there will also be a golf simulator giveaway. Office hours will be available with Jesse Taylor, Luke Vandermillen Jr., Martin Graham, and Da’Ron Jennings. Join Dan Dal Degan on April 29 at 9:40 a.m. and Jesse Taylor on April 30 at 9:15 a.m. for retirement-focused sessions. (8:37) Jenny Kiffmeyer covered the DOL’s new Self-Correction Program under VFCP. Plans not under DOL investigation can self-correct late deferral deposits and loan failures by correcting errors, submitting an online notice, and keeping detailed records. Once approved, sponsors should retain the DOL email acknowledgment and disclose late deposits on Form 5500. (16:05) Melody reminded members that the Road to Success Miniseries is now live on YouTube and RPAG’s website, featuring sessions on the portal, Scorecard strategies, benchmarking, and social media marketing. (18:53) Alexis Patenaude explained that the Expanded Fees tab captures full fee details that feed into the Fees tab summary. Changes to the Expanded Fees tab update the Fees tab, but edits to the Fees tab only impact the PlanFees Suite. Thank you for looking at the clues with us this month, we hope you enjoyed learning alongside us. To see next month's, join us Monday, May 5.
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The RPAG Scoop - Episode 22

The RPAG Scoop - Episode 22

35 min 55 sec
Exciting Announcement for RPAG! (0:37) Jesse Taylor, Senior Vice President of Business Development here at RPAG is excited to share some big news. RPAG has joined forces with Great Gray Group, a leader in retirement solutions and fiduciary expertise. This partnership is a game-changer for us and gives us an incredible opportunity to enhance the tools, technology, and support we provide to retirement plan advisors, institutions, and service providers. The big idea here is scaling for impact. Our mission has always been about empowering advisors with the best technology and insights to navigate the complexities of retirement planning. By partnering with Great Gray, we’re taking that mission to the next level. We’re focused on making retirement solutions more accessible, efficient, and impactful. Together, we’re better equipped to anticipate and address the rapidly evolving needs of our clients and partners. Our shared commitment to innovation, growth, and fiduciary excellence means we can continue empowering advisors and delivering impactful retirement solutions. Advisor Managed Accounts, The New Hot Topic (2:49) Advisor Managed Accounts (AMAs) were a key topic at our Advisory Forum. Marketing Specialist Melody Ravanipour identified three main discussion points: Current Use: AMAs help advisors differentiate but have low adoption. Challenges: Limited recordkeeper data, integration issues, and no universal strategy hinder scalability. Future Potential: Tools like benchmarking and improved recordkeeper-advisor communication could drive adoption. While AMAs offer differentiation, broader implementation is needed for them to become a standard option. Investment FAQs (7:16) Investment Analyst Janette Oh answers frequent advisor questions: Returns-Based Style Analysis (RBSA): Evaluates fund returns against indices to determine investment style, influencing 30% of RPAG’s Scorecard. RPAG Peer Groups vs. Category Rank: RPAG categorizes funds by strategy (Active, Passive, Asset Allocation), unlike Morningstar, which combines them. RPAG also includes all vehicle types in rankings, while Morningstar separates them. Save the Date for Our National Conference (20:04) Our National Conference dates have officially been released! We will be hosting our National Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago from Monday, September 29 - Wednesday, October 1. Keep an eye out for the Save the Date email coming from support@rpag.com and make sure that it's whitelisted so you don't miss it! Running Reports Across Your Book of Business (21:29) Advisor Service Associate Alexis Patenaude explains how to generate reports across your book of business: Path: Go to "Menu" > "Advisor Reports" to access various reports, including Plan Type, Client Data, and Watchlist Funds. Exporting Data: Select your report type, apply filters, and export. Advisor iQ: A quick-view tool in RPAG’s portal for data snapshots, customizable filters, and export options. Improved Features Walkthrough (25:20) Michael Feldman, the Sr. Systems Development Coordinator here at RPAG, wanted to show our members a couple of his favorite recent updates that we have made to the portal. In this session, Michael discusses the Advisor Compensation product with the added ability to add Tiered Based Assets as well as the updated output report. He also goes over the importance of the bulk templates update to the Service Plan
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The RPAG Scoop - Episode 21

The RPAG Scoop - Episode 21

37 min 27 sec
Welcome to the February RPAG Scoop where we are giving you an investigative look into the retirement industry through the RPAG looking glass. This month, we have new resources for you to uncover, 2024 market evidence, an ASA sleuth for scores, and a breakthrough for our RPAG portal. We aren't just any rookie detectives over here, so join us! What's New at RPAG? (0:56) Detective Luke Vandermillen Jr. has offered his services to show you what is going on behind the scenes at the RPAG precinct. He starts by giving us a list of new resources that includes upcoming digital sessions, new articles, memos, and videos! To watch these videos, he highly recommends that advisors subscribe to our YouTube Channel and clicking the bell in the corner to be notified whenever we post a new video. To access all of our articles, which include Participant Memos, check out the blog page on our website! A question that Luke often gets is "How can I expand my book of business?" and he encourages members to utilize the Fund Mapping tool in the portal. Fund mapping helps you clearly outline the proposed changes for a plan as well as the impact of those changes. Investment Update (11:21) Chief Investment Officer Jeff Elvander has some evidence to show the members about 2024 and his predictions about 2025. Across the board in 2024, risk-assets win. There was strong performance across all risk assets, specifically in the US equity markets (which is 2 years in a row now). The result is that aggressive glidepaths in target date funds shined. He also believes that we are out of the woods in terms of a recession. Looking at 2025, the Magnificent Seven is now a very large concentration of all indexes such as the S&P 500. Active management is more important than ever because they are so diversified. Traditional fixed income is looking more attractive as that longer end of the rate yield curve moves higher. The "age wave" is looking at the retiree group out there that is turning 65 every day. We are already into the window where we are seeing many retirees hitting their target date. This is why personalization is so important and making sure that matching someone's goal retirement and their risk level should be a priority. When and Where Will I See Scores? (25:22) With quarterly scores recently being released, Alexis Patenaude, an Advisor Service Associate here at RPAG, wanted to shed some light on when you can expect to see quarterly scores and where you would find them. Quarterly scores are released 11 business days after quarter end. Stable Value fund data will be available 30-45 days after quarter end, while GIC fund data will be available 45-60 days after quarter end. To find a score's history, you can either use the fund lookup tool or through the client/prospect tab at the bottom of a specific plan's page in the "Reports" section. Tech Enhancements and Improved Features (27:45) We have an RPAG Scoop rookie joining us this month! Michael Feldman, the Sr. Systems Development Coordinator at RPAG has been investigating tirelessly with his team to bring you justice in the form of an updated platform. Some of these updates include a "Last Presented" date for service plans, keeping you on task with your clients and a new formula for the weighted net investment cost on the expense comparison tool to optimize your report experience. His favorite recent improvement on the portal was the FIR. Terminated plans are not allowed to run FIRs, but there is now a convenient button that lets you activate a plan right then and there so you can run your reports without having to go back to the plan's page. If you would like more details on our recent tech enhancements, click here. Thank you for looking at the clues with us this month, we hope you enjoyed learning alongside us. To see next month's, join us on YouTube on Monday, March 3.
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