County of Los Angeles – Using NRSM 2024 to help current and future retirees live large in LA

For its 2024 National Retirement Security Month (NRSM) campaign, the County of Los Angeles aimed to move the needle on key retirement metrics—enrollment, contributions, and asset allocation—while placing special focus on supporting retired participants. The goal was to highlight the importance of continued engagement and planning at every stage of the retirement journey, from enrollment through retirement and beyond. In collaboration with Empower, the County launched a multi-faceted campaign featuring a series of webinars tailored to different phases of retirement: enrollment, contribution increases, pre-retirement, and, for the first time, retiree-specific planning. Each session included actionable steps to help participants strengthen their financial future. The campaign theme, “Living in LA,” tied messaging to the iconic energy of Los Angeles, helping bring retirement planning to life through creative emails and promotional materials. In-person outreach by local Retirement Plan Counselors during NRSM further enhanced engagement by providing employees with personalized guidance and support.

By Carly Abernathy|2026-01-15T09:38:43-05:00August 10th, 2025|Comments Off

State of Hawai‘i – 2024 Hybrid Benefits Fairs

The Island $avings Plan supports the holistic well-being of Hawai‘i’s public employees—addressing both physical and financial health—through its comprehensive Employee Benefits Fairs. Given the geographic challenges of reaching participants across multiple counties and islands, the Plan’s Board of Trustees revived its pre-COVID tradition of hosting two annual Fairs, with a modern upgrade: hybrid delivery. In 2024, Board staff partnered with Empower to refine the hybrid format, hosting two events on Hawai‘i Island in July and one on O‘ahu in November. Customized communications were developed with county-specific details provided by local employers and shared statewide. Each Fair offered in-person attendees a one-stop-shop to connect with Plan and State representatives, while live-streamed workshops ensured access for virtual participants. A post-event Lookback page featured digital resources, additional information, and recorded sessions, extending the impact and accessibility of the events. Strong coordination among Plan and State partners was key to the success of the hybrid model.

By Carly Abernathy|2026-01-15T09:38:43-05:00August 10th, 2025|Comments Off

Michigan Office of Retirement Services – How Do I … ? campaign

The How do I…? campaign targeted all active participants in the State of Michigan 401(k) and 457 Plans, aiming to increase awareness of key retirement planning actions. The campaign covered topics such as understanding plan benefits, healthcare options in retirement, updating beneficiaries, increasing contributions over time, and accessing additional resources. While most content was delivered via email for easy future reference, the campaign also included dedicated healthcare guide webpages and social media posts to provide a more comprehensive view of participants’ retirement benefits.

By Carly Abernathy|2026-01-15T09:38:43-05:00August 10th, 2025|Comments Off

Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) – Money MattERS Financial Literacy Initiative

To meet growing demand for financial education, the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) launched Money MattERS, a monthly digital newsletter, and a companion podcast, Money Talks. These resources deliver targeted content on State of Texas retirement benefits and the voluntary savings programs ERS oversees, helping members understand the full value of their employer-sponsored benefits and how to use them to build long-term financial security. ERS partnered with Empower, the administrator of the Texa$aver 401(k)/457 program, to provide reliable financial education, tools, and short-form videos tailored to members’ needs. By breaking down key financial concepts, the initiative aims to reduce financial stress, promote smart money management, and empower members to budget, manage debt, invest, and plan for a secure retirement.

By Carly Abernathy|2026-01-15T09:38:43-05:00August 10th, 2025|Comments Off

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) – Dive Into Financial Wellness

BART offers its full-time employees access to a 457 Deferred Compensation Plan and a 401(a) Money Purchase Pension Plan through MissionSquare Retirement, serving approximately 12,270 participants with $1.5 billion in assets. To increase retiree engagement and promote proactive financial planning, BART launched “Dive Into Financial Wellness” in June 2024—an in-person event designed to empower participants to make informed decisions and confidently manage their retirement assets. Attendees connected with experts from MissionSquare, T. Rowe Price®, Galliard, Social Security, Medicare, and Bay Area Older Adults™, and received personalized guidance from Certified Financial Planner® Professionals and Retirement Plan Specialists. The free event featured educational presentations, one-on-one consultations, and networking over lunch. A multi-channel promotional campaign—flyers, postcards, emails, and an RSVP site—helped drive awareness and participation.

By Carly Abernathy|2026-01-15T09:38:44-05:00August 10th, 2025|Comments Off

NYC Health + Hospitals – Register your Account Campaign

This project focused on the safety & security of our participants accounts in the NYC Health + Hospitals TDA Program: 403(b) Plan. Our campaign consistently reminded individuals of the importance of registering their account online. We implemented a muti-media approach, including emails, digital screens at the various hospitals, giveaways, and seminars. Our results speak for themselves: In less than six months, close to 50% of our participants have taken action to register their accounts.

By Carly Abernathy|2024-09-25T13:26:46-04:00July 25th, 2024|Comments Off

Nevada Public Employees’ Deferred Compensation Program – Creating Cybersecurity Awareness

The Nevada Deferred Compensation (NDC) Program, as part of the State of Nevada Department of Administration, is committed to help create a personal financial wellness plan for all State employees and their families. An important component of holistic financial wellness is the protection of one's assets, income, identity, and estate. As such, the Program recognized the importance of safeguarding NDC accounts and participant information against the ongoing risk of fraud, cyber threats, and other unauthorized activity. In partnership its recordkeeper and investment consultant, the NDC Program implemented a cybersecurity policy statement and deployed a series of cybersecurity awareness campaigns to help all participants keep their accounts secure from constantly evolving and changing threats.

By Carly Abernathy|2024-09-25T13:25:48-04:00July 25th, 2024|Comments Off

City of Portland – Toss the paper! The effects of paperless processing for Plans and participants

The City of Portland made the decision to enhance the employee and participant experience by adopting online capabilities and functionality to increase employee participation and engagement in the Plan, improve the employee experience from enrollment to retirement, increase efficiency and data security/integrity and reduce administrative challenges and burdens for the City. The City enabled online enrollment, online contribution rate change service and online beneficiary maintenance through a participant's account via the dedicated Plan website. This shift in process required a comprehensive multi-touch communication campaign to inform and educate participants on the new services and processes, focusing on how these changes will help make managing Plan accounts simpler.

By Carly Abernathy|2024-09-25T13:24:24-04:00July 25th, 2024|Comments Off

Washington State DRS – Roth Implementation

Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) administers one of the most complex public retirement systems in the country, comprising of fifteen plans across eight individual retirement systems. DRS' deferred compensation plan (DCP) is a voluntary 457(b) program with approximately $6.6B in assets. In March 2022, Washington State legislation required that DCP add Roth as a contribution option no later than December 1, 2023. On October 1, 2023, DCP customers were given the option to begin using Roth, including Roth conversions. Implementation included communicating clearly with employers and customers about the differences between pretax and Roth. Communications were focused on key messages with consistent language and themes with a thoughtfully crafted timeline. The theme was nature-oriented and designed to integrate components of the natural world specific to the State of Washington, including bears, eagles and salmon. A Roth video, multifaceted email campaign, virtual Q&A sessions geared towards various age groups, podcast and social media posts all resulted in the success of reaching the Roth adoption goal for the first year within 6 months.

By Carly Abernathy|2024-09-25T13:22:58-04:00July 25th, 2024|Comments Off

State University of New York (SUNY) – SUNY Campus Dashboard

The SUNY Campus Dashboard is an innovative tool designed to enhance retirement outcomes across SUNY's diverse network of campuses. Developed by CAPTRUST, this dashboard aggregates and analyzes data from multiple recordkeepers to provide a clear, actionable view of retirement plan performance, focusing on participant demographics, asset trends, and enrollment metrics. By identifying disparities and tracking progress, the dashboard enables targeted interventions to boost enrollment and engagement, particularly among underrepresented groups. This strategic tool not only supports informed decision-making but also fosters a culture of proactive retirement planning across SUNY's campuses, ensuring all employees have the resources necessary for a secure retirement.

By Carly Abernathy|2024-09-25T13:18:25-04:00July 25th, 2024|Comments Off

award winner