Dear NAGDCA friends,
 

It’s hard to believe that we are so quickly approaching the 2009 NAGDCA Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.  It’s been quite a year, and I suspect none of us anticipated the unprecedented political and economic changes that actually surfaced when we were together in Baltimore last September.  The focus on saving for retirement has taken on a special significance.  More than ever, we are called upon to educate, assist and counsel our participants as they face the uncertainty of the markets.
 

Over the past year, the Executive Board has remained committed to maintaining NAGDCA as a leading information resource for governmental defined contribution plans.  Despite challenges in our resources and budget brought by the economy, NAGDCA has continued to provide up-to-date, relevant information to its members through the website and clearinghouse, listserv, NAGDCASTS, and the annual conference.

I’m delighted to report that despite these challenges, the 2009 NAGDCA Annual Conference should be one of the best!  The Conference Committee has worked very hard to provide educational sessions that are innovative, relevant to our work as plan administrators, and timely to today’s retirement issues.  We are maintaining the number of conference sessions offered, and will continue to provide professional education credits for the CFP and CPE designations. In a time when we all have had to trim and prioritize our educational budgets, both industry and government members have continued to recognize and support the value of the Annual Conference, and registrations and room reservations are currently at the same level as in previous years. This year’s conference will continue to be filled with great educational opportunities. For more information about the conference, please visit:  http://www.nagdca.org/content.cfm/id/2009_annual_conference.

 

In addition to the Annual Conference, the Executive Board has also been working hard to fulfill NAGDCA’s mission "to unite representatives from state and local governments along with private sector organizations that service and support defined contribution plans…" Some of the recent highlights have been in the following areas:

·         A very successful 2009 Industry Roundtable was held May 14-15. Speakers representing a “retirement plan who’s who” in the Treasury, the IRS, and both parties in the House and Senate engaged in a lively and frank discussion of current issues and challenges.

·         Concurrent with the Industry Roundtable, Mindy Harris, Janet Kendall, Susan White, and I, along with NAGDCA staff, met with Mark Iwry, who that week had been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy. NAGDCA legislative priorities were discussed, along with the Saver’s Credit. The Treasury emphasized that the encouragement of retirement savings is a priority of the new administration. The Treasury was most interested in NAGDCA’s views in having a significantly increased Saver’s Credit that could be deposited directly into retirement accounts. The meeting was very insightful, and it is apparent NAGDCA continues to be well-respected in the new administration.

·         A legislative update NAGDCAST was held at the end of April; there were over 100 attendees and the evaluations of the event were very high. The next NAGDCAST will be on August 25 at 1 pm EDT, on “Saving and Surviving: Education About the Current Market.”

·         The NAGDCA education presentation was taken into three classrooms – the University of Georgia, Concordia University and Southern Arkansas University. Student and faculty evaluations were outstanding, and two additional universities have expressed interest in participating this Fall.

·         The Publications Committee has finalized its first brochure, “Is Your Mattress a Valid Retirement Savings Option?” It is available on the website. The Committee is now focusing on a second brochure – “You’re Retired…Now What? The Confidence Factor.”

·         The second DC Survey Report and the Membership Satisfaction Survey have been completed, and will be available on the website shortly.

·         The Membership Committee has been working with the Industry Committee on ways to reach additional plan sponsors with information about NAGDCA. TIAA-CREF and Great-West Retirement Services have agreed to share information about NAGDCA with their clients, and an e-postcard has been shared with all industry primary members in hopes that they will forward it to clients.

·         The ANC Foundation awarded six scholarships. Meghan Shepard, University of Georgia, was awarded the ANC Foundation Scholarship. Five students received $1,000 ANC Foundation Scholarships - Matthew Bagley, Texas Tech University; Katie Reeves, University of Georgia; Tim Griesdorn, Texas Tech University; Kristin Smith, University of Georgia and Alden Mergenthal, University of Georgia. Congratulations to each of the six winners, and we look forward to seeing them at the Annual Conference!

·         Last, and definitely not least, don’t forget to check out NAGDCA’s debut into the world of “viral video” – the first YouTube video promoting the association! A link to the video is on the NAGDCA homepage.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2009 Annual Conference in Austin. Together we can reconnect, share our experiences over the last year, as well as our plans as we move forward into the future!