The 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory 2008

Lacey sees drastic changes happening in the retirement plan industry, maintaining that the 401(k) structure hasn’t worked so far.“Most people are not saving enough, are not investing appropriately and are not on track to have enough money at retirement,” he said. “As a result, I am hopeful that some of the changes we are seeing now – fewer investment options, more automation, fee transparency and professional management – will be the norm in the future,” he added, predicting that both plan sponsors and participants will be better served by the retirement plan industry in 10 years’ time. panies with between $5 million and $100 million in 401(k) plan assets. When he was building Jenkins’ retirement plan services business, Mettler laid out three directives: serve and support the customer, make money for the company and enjoy what we do.“If the answers to the first and third directives were ‘no,’ we knew it was something that shouldn’t be pursued,” he said. In just three years, he has built the business to roughly 60 clients with some $400 million in plan assets, and he expects to have a client roster of 150 plans representing about $1.5 billion in assets within 10 years’ time. An Accredited Investment Fiduciary and a PlanSponsor Retirement Professional, Mettler expects the role of the retirement plan advisor to change and become more important and demanding going forward. “Unless you are in this business 24/7, it’s going to be very difficult to keep up with the demands of the plan sponsor,” he said, noting that he expects his own job to change in accordance with regulatory developments over the next decade. In addition, he anticipates consolidation among recordkeepers and other providers over the next 10 years. 13 . C. TODD LACEY plan industry right out of college, which has allowed me to meet both of these objectives. I feel very lucky to be in a position where I am paid to help people with one of their most important responsibilities.” In his current role, Lacey helps The (k)larity Group’s 50 clients – who represent some $300 million in plan assets – with all aspects of their retirement programs, from plan and investment reviews to participant education and legislative updates. The group, which is a National Retirement Partners member firm, targets plans in the $5 million to $50 million range. Going forward, Lacey’s goal is to build The (k)larity Group into one of the most well-respected retirement plan consulting firms in the country and to become known as an industry expert who has committed his professional life to helping address the nation’s retirement savings crisis. In working toward these goals, he serves as membership chairman on the board of directors of the local American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and writes articles for a variety of publications focused on retirement plans. An Accredited Investment Fiduciary, 30 RETIREMENT PLAN ADVISORY RISING STARS 14. GEOFF METTLER Vice President, Retirement Services Jenkins Insurance Group, Concord, Calif. Age: 41 Education: Hawaii Pacific University (B.A. in Marketing) Mentors: Don Wilson, Founder, DJW Retirement Services Mettler first was introduced to the 401(k) plan market while working as a wholesaler for Great West Life & Annuity Insurance from 1993 to 2004. There, he would offer clients a defined contribution plan alongside their medical plan or other products he sold on behalf of the insurer. However, it was not until early 2005, when he joined Jenkins Insurance Group to head up its new retirement plan services division, that he became immersed in the market. He said what attracted him to the 401(k) business was the ability to offer his and his team’s expertise and support rather than just hawking products. Jenkins Insurance Group targets clients throughout the country, crossselling to existing clients of the firm’s property & casualty, benefits and selffunded workers’ compensation businesses and generating prospects of its own. The firm primarily targets com- 15. ANDREW PREVOST President The Meltzer Group, Bethesda, Md. Age: 39 Education: Washington College (B.A. in History) Mentors: Jack Abel, President, The Meltzer Group; Tom Cogan, Vice President – Health Insurance Division, The Meltzer Group; Alan Meltzer, Founder, The Meltzer Group Prevost knew the defined contribution business was his calling when he landed the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), Local 25, start-up plan in 1998. He spent months sitting in hotel cafeterias trying to teach low-paid, often non-English-speakSEPTEMBER 2008

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The 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory 2008 Contents Doing Well By Doing Good The Post-PPA Bounce Automatic Enrollment vs. Managed Account Unfair Advantage? You Bet The New World Order 20 Rising Stars of Retirement Plan Advisory Mentors’ Page

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