Previewing the Nestimate Retirement Income Summit with Kelby Meyers
In the first new 401(k) Specialist Pod(k)ast episode of 2026, Editor-in-Chief Brian Anderson sits down with Kelby Meyers, founder and CEO of Nestimate, to explore the evolving landscape of in-plan retirement income and the Nestimate Retirement Income Summit.
Meyers discusses the upcoming second annual Nestimate Retirement Income Summit, shares insights on new initiatives at Nestimate—including its recently launched TDF-IQ analytics tool—and weighs in on what the Vanguard-TIAA target-date CIT with a built-in annuity could signal for the future of default investments. The conversation also examines how advisors and plan sponsors can better evaluate lifetime income options, manage fiduciary risk, and prepare for key developments shaping the retirement income market in 2026 and beyond.
Key Insights
1. Retirement Income Summit Offers Critical Education for Advisors
The second annual Estimate Retirement Income Summit aims to help plan advisors, sponsors, and home office professionals better understand and evaluate in-plan lifetime income solutions. With speakers like Matthew Eichman, Brendan McCarthy, and Spencer Look, the event emphasizes fiduciary clarity and objective analysis of evolving income strategies.
2. Vanguard-TIAA Collaboration Marks a Market Shift
The launch of a target date collective investment trust (CIT) by Vanguard and TIAA is seen as a turning point in the retirement income landscape. Vanguard’s rare move after 22 years signals growing industry momentum toward embedding annuities in target date funds to ensure retirement income security.
3. Technology and Recordkeeper Integration Drive Adoption
Tools like Nestimate’s TDF-IQ offer fiduciaries an outcome-based framework for evaluating annuity-infused target date funds. Meanwhile, broader recordkeeper availability and support for annuity options could help solve portability challenges, accelerating adoption of lifetime income solutions in 2026.
SEE ALSO:
• Nestimate Introduces TDF Analyzer
Veteran financial services industry journalist Brian Anderson joined 401(k) Specialist as Managing Editor in January 2019. He has led editorial content for a variety of well-known properties including Insurance Forums, Life Insurance Selling, National Underwriter Life & Health, and Senior Market Advisor. He has always maintained a focus on providing readers with timely, useful information intended to help them build their business.