The 2025 Western Benefit Conference was held August 27-28 in Newport Beach, CA at the Marriott VEA. The conference theme was “Staying Current on the Coast: Preparing for What’s Next” and consisted of ten sessions featuring content and speakers which covered a variety of topics related to current developments and a forward look for the retirement industry.
This was the third consecutive year that the Western Pension & Benefits Counsel hosted a standalone conference and, building on the momentum of the prior two years (2023 in Scottsdale and 2024 in San Francisco), was a success. The speakers and attendees were multi-disciplinary – attorneys, TPAs, recordkeepers, investment advisors, insurance companies, actuaries, and auditors. In addition to the educational sessions listed below, there were many networking opportunities.
Sessions were as follows:
- The Future of DC Plan Investments: Innovation, Personalization, and Participant Outcomes [speakers were Matthew Eickman of Fiduciary Law Center, Vidur Mehra of PIMCO, Frank Pyles of Nationwide, and Lisa Swatkoski of Vanguard]
- DOL Update [speakers were Phyllis Borzi, former Assistant Secretary of Labor, EBSA and Lisa Gomez of LMG Collaborative Consulting, former Assistant Secretary of Labor, EBSA]
- Recent Riptides of ERISA Litigation [speakers were Brad Huss of Trucker Huss and Kirsten Scott of Renaker Scott]
- IRS/Treasury Update [speakers were Kyle Brown, former Deputy Benefits Tax Counsel, Department of the Treasury and Eric Slack of Thompson Hine, former Director of Employee Plans for the Internal Revenue Service]
- Plan Sponsor Panel – What’s on the Mind About What’s Next? [speakers were Cindy Hardnett of Farmers Insurance, Brian Holmen of Sandisk Corporation, and Sherry Irani of Hoag Memorial Hospital]
- Navigating the Cyber and AI Digital Risk Landscape [speakers were Anna Bell of Segal, Crystal Coleman of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, and Michael Stoyanovich of Segal]
- Washington Update [speakers included all four government speakers noted above – Phyllis Borzi, Lisa Gomez, Eric Slack, and Kyle Brown]
- Retirement Leaders – Foreseeing the Industry’s Next Evolution [speakers were KC Boas of The Aspen Institute, John Euart of McKinsey & Company, Lew Minsky of DCIIA, and Tim Rouse of The Spark Institute]
- Keynote – Where we are and where we are Going, featuring Keynote speaker Fred Reish of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- PEP Talk – What Everyone Needs to Know [speakers were Erin Breit of BDO USA, Chris Castro of Transamerica, and Brian Murray of Trucker Huss]
Regarding the future of retirement, there were two key takeaways from multiple speakers:
- People are living longer and the longer-term impact this will have on plans, financial wellness, and lifetime income needs cannot be understated
- The impact of AI will provide opportunities for personalized investment advice, but there are many hurdles to overcome in terms of privacy, regulations, and an evolving landscape.
Looking ahead – the committee has already begun discussions for the 2026 Western Benefits Conference. Location and details are TBD, but please be on the lookout for save the date information.