Westminster Consulting: Recent Episodes
Westminster Consulting
Conference calls, benefits conversations, roundtable discussions, and webinars from Westminster Consulting.
This webinar will focus on techniques for maintaining team connectivity via virtual media. It will focus on on-screen presence, preparedness, tips, and techniques to engage a virtual audience and general presentation skills knowledge.
Grab some lunch and join us on Wednesday the 24th.
This webinar will focus on techniques for maintaining team connectivity via virtual media. It will focus on on-screen presence, preparedness, tips, and techniques to engage a virtual audience and general presentation skills knowledge.
Grab some lunch and join us on Wednesday the 24th.
For the last couple of years, Westminster Consulting has focused our financial wellbeing and literacy efforts on the underserved. The individuals that may not have access to the financial services community are coming to work stressed over their finances and it is a problem for companies. This financial stress is exacerbated in communities of color. This was a problem in 2019. We have yet to see how much worse it has gotten in 2020. On this webinar, we will not only be speaking about culture change at some of the New York area's most established financial services firms, but we will talk about what allyship means in changing the conversation to serve the people who really need financial help in our workplaces.
Organizations are continually refining their value statements to attract and retain the right talent to support growth within an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Human Resources professionals are constantly exploring tools to keep their talent engaged and productive while preparing the next generation of organizational leadership. Two tools that are often underutilized are mentoring and coaching. Both mentors and coaches are valuable resources and important components of skill development sought out by employees throughout the organization. When properly utilized, mentoring and coaching programs address engagement, development, retention, and organizational culture.
A discussion on pension solutions in today’s market environment with Vijendra Nambiar and Sean Patton
In this session, we will cover the key issues concerning defined benefit plan sponsors and the investment solutions available to them:
- Understanding the benefits of a Liability Driven Investment (LDI) approach
- Designing liability-hedging solutions
- Prudently managing the asset allocation process to reduce funding ratio risk
Join us for a discussion on Tuesday, October 13th when we will address these and other topics specifically around defined benefit pension plans.
Our panel of experts will include:
Moderator - Sean Patton, Partner – Westminster Consulting
Larry Peters, CPA, Enrolled Actuary - Westminster Consulting
Vijendra "Viju" Nambiar, Executive Vice President - PIMCO
Monica Elvira, Vice President - PIMCO
2020 has seen a flood of negative events:
- Lower interest rates
- Declining asset values / increasing asset values
- Increased PBGC premiums
- Lower assumed rate of return
- COVID-19 Business Impact
- Cash flow concerns
- Funding & expense volatility
- Decreasing funded status
- Layoffs, furloughs, and partial plan terminations.
CFOs and management are asking “What do we do with our Pension Plan?” “How do we develop a plan to respond?” “What are others doing?” Join us for a discussion on Tuesday, July 21st when we will address these and other topics specifically around traditional defined benefit pension plans. Our panel of experts will include: Larry Peters, CPA, Enrolled Actuary - Westminster Consulting Mike Clark, Senior Consulting Actuary - Principal Financial Group Scott Ruba, Director – Defined Benefit - Principal Financial Group Moderator - Sean Patton, Partner – Westminster Consulting
ATTENTION 401(k) Committee Members and Investment Fiduciaries – a recent Class Action Complaint that retirement plan committee members should be aware of.
On May 26, 2020, a Class Action Complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota against Land O’Lakes, Inc., the Board of Directors of Land O’Lakes, Inc., Land O’Lakes, Inc. Retirement Plan Committee, and John Does.
The allegations involved should be of significant interest to all committee members and investment fiduciaries. These include:
- “failing to objectively and adequately review the Plan’s investment portfolio with due care to ensure that each investment option was prudent, in terms of cost; and
- “maintaining certain funds in the Plan despite the availability of identical or similar investment options with lower costs and/or better performance histories.”
“Defendants’ mismanagement of the Plan, to the detriment of participants and beneficiaries, constitutes a breach of the fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty, in violation of 29 U.S.C. § 1104. Their actions were contrary to actions of a reasonable fiduciary and cost the Plan and its participants millions of dollars.”
Based on this conduct, Plaintiffs assert claims against Defendants for breach of the fiduciary duties of loyalty and prudence (Count One) and failure to monitor fiduciaries (Count Two).
This webinar will provide actionable steps that investment fiduciaries can take to defend themselves from similar actions. The discussion will not only review components of this case but answer specific questions regarding appropriate fiduciary behavior and actions that can be taken by committees to thwart claims similar to the Land O’Lakes Complaint.
Join us for a timely discussion with Tom Zamiara of Westminster Consulting and Christian Hancey and Jenny Holmes of Nixon Peabody LLP, members of the Employee Benefit and Executive Compensation team.
We will talk about the current challenges and important considerations of employers who have experienced a reduction in benefits, layoffs, furloughs, and terminations of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will specifically discuss how these reductions in the workforce may have triggered a “partial plan termination” and what to do if this has occurred. The discussion will include actual situations of their clients and recommended strategies to protect employees and employers and not run afoul of regulators.
A discussion of what fiduciaries and investment committees are doing to manage their responsibilities and oversight during this challenging time.
Among the topics to be discussed are:
- A refresher: Settlor or Fiduciary
- Getting re-acquainted with the plan document
- Planning, holding, and memorializing investment committee meetings
- Reviewing and responding to participant behavior
- Keeping plan vendors on the same page
The novel coronavirus has rocked the economic and cultural landscape. Our work habits have changed along with our work arrangements. These challenging times are not yet over, but there are signs of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. It may not be today or tomorrow but we will return to resume our ways of life. What the new normal will look like is anyone’s guess. What we do know however is that we need to be prepared. We want to help you to prepare for the day that we all return to the workplace.