NAGDCA appoints executive board president
The National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators (NAGDCA) has appointed Kelly Hiers to NAGDCA executive board president. NAGDCA is the premier professional association for plan administrators and services providers of government-sponsored defined contribution (DC) retirement plans.
Hiers currently serves as DC Plans Administrator at Virginia Retirement System. She replaces Sandy Blair, administrator of the California Savings Plus Program, and is replaced as executive board vice president by Mo Raihan, chief retirement officer at NYC Health + Hospitals.
“We’re delighted to have Kelly helming the NAGDCA Executive Board,” said Matt Petersen, NAGDCA Executive Director. “We look forward to continuing to work with her in her new position as she continues to share her extensive experience and insights in furtherance of NAGDCA’s efforts to support public sector plan sponsors.”
Savvy Advisors adds principal wealth manager
Savvy Advisors, a registered investment advisor (RIA) affiliated with Savvy Wealth, announced that Michael Most had joined the firm as principal wealth manager.
Most has spent the better part of three decades serving corporate executives, business owners, and mass affluent individuals, and joins Savvy from LPL Financial, where he managed $80 million in client assets. Prior to his time there, Most was a senior financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services.
Most’s appointment comes on the heels of new recruits Frank Remund, Erich Yost, and Ryan Bond, and is the firm’s largest recruit to date. He is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Nationwide names mutual fund business leader
Ben Hoecherl has been named leader of product and business development for the Investment Management Group (IMG), Nationwide’s mutual funds business.
In this position Hoecherl will lead the team responsible for strategic partnerships across Nationwide’s Life, Annuity, Corporate Solutions and Retirement Solutions businesses, including all aspects of business and product development and management for Nationwide’s mutual fund and ETF product lines. Additionally, he will drive strategic thought leadership across all investment products and distribution channels on behalf of the Investment Management Group. Hoecherl will report to Kevin Jestice.
“Ben’s financial services industry experiences and deep subject matter expertise make him the ideal candidate to lead our product and business development team,” said Kevin Jestice, senior vice president and head of the Investment Management Group at Nationwide.
Hoecherl joined Nationwide in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance/business from the University of Utah and his master’s degree in finance and accounting from Regis University in Denver. He holds series 6, 26 and 65 licenses along with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Hoecherl replaces Steve Pierce, who retired earlier this year.
JULY earns CEFEX certification in pooled plans
JULY Business Services has received the first certification as a pooled plan service provider issued by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) from Broadridge. JULY was evaluated for the readiness of its infrastructure to support compliance with substantially all operational requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
The CEFEX Pooled Plan certification program was launched earlier this year by Broadridge Retirement and Workplace, in partnership with Group Plan Systems, LLC, (GPS) a company specializing in operational fiduciary due diligence oversight for group plans, including pooled employer plans (PEPs).
“We’re proud to be the first organization to earn its CEFEX certification as a Pooled Plan Service Professional” said John Humphrey, CEO of JULY. He continued, “We launched our first PEP in 2021 to support industry partners and value the message this certification sends to the market.”
Pete Swisher, managing partner of GPS, led the assessment required to certify JULY. “Our entire team at GPS acknowledges JULY’s commitment to excellence as a service provider, evident in the people, processes, and technology at the company,” Swisher said. “They take their role as a service provider to PEPs very seriously, and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with them in this capacity,” Swisher added.
“JULY has demonstrated commitment to recordkeeping excellence, evidenced by several years of previous CEFEX certification,” said Carlos Panksep, vice president of CEFEX. “They have earned the right to use the new CEFEX Mark, which indicates the firm’s established practices are aligned with investors’ and stakeholders’ interests and worthy of trust and confidence.”
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Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with over six years of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. Amanda received her degree in journalism and government and politics at St. John’s University. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado with her partner. In her free time, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, and watching the latest drama show.