The State of Retirement: Shaping the Future

Hosted by Georgetown University Center for Retirement Initiatives

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Aug 2026

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Georgetown Center for Retirement Initiatives (CRI)'s Executive Director Angela Antonelli talks with industry innovators, leaders, and influencers shaping the future of retirement.

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59 recent

August 13, 202637 min

Episode 59: NCPERS' Annual Public Retirement Systems Study: Trends in Pension Funding, Investment, and Governance

Matt Eckel, Director of Research at NCPERS (the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems), joins Angela Antonelli to share the findings of NCPERS' 15th Annual Public Retirement Systems Study, based on responses from 149 public pension systems representing more than 18 million members. They discuss trends in pension funding, investment strategies, governance and administration, and what's top of mind for plan executives heading into next year. NCPERS is a general supporter of the Center for Retirement Initiatives. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and do not reflect any policy or position of the Center for Retirement Initiatives.

June 8, 202632 min

Episode 58: SURCH and Recover: How State Treasurers Can Reunite Workers With Their Lost Retirement Savings

Shaun Snyder, CEO of the National Association of State Treasurers, introduces SURCH, the States' Unclaimed Retirement Clearinghouse, a new initiative that leverages state unclaimed property systems to help plan sponsors and recordkeepers reunite uncashed retirement benefit checks with the workers and retirees who are owed them.

April 14, 202628 min

Episode 57: What Are Some of Key Trends Shaping the Future of Retirement?

Nick Nefouse, Global Head of Retirement Solutions and Head of LifePath for BlackRock, discusses the shifts underway in how Americans save, invest, and ultimately spend in retirement. From the role of private market assets and active management in target date funds, to the need for guaranteed lifetime income and the progress being made to close the access gap, Nick brings BlackRock's 2026 Retirement Trends Report to life with candid insights on where the DC system is headed — and what it will actually take to get there. BlackRock is a general supporter of the Center for Retirement Initiatives. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the views of the guests and do not reflect any policy or position of the Center for Retirement Initiatives.

March 10, 202631 min

Episode 56: Washington's Retirement Agenda: Congressional and Administration Priorities for 2026

Kevin Walsh, a Principal at the Groom Law Group, and Kendra Isaacson, a Principal at Mindset, unpack President Trump's State of the Union proposal to expand retirement savings access for uncovered workers. The conversation explores the competing Congressional proposals on the table and how the Administration might act on its own to close the retirement coverage gap. They look ahead at the broader 2026 retirement policy landscape, including anticipated DOL rulemaking on private market assets, the future of the Savers Match, Trump Accounts, the upcoming mid-term elections, and what it all means for workers, employers, and state-facilitated retirement savings programs. Mindset and the Groom Law Group are general supporters of the Center for Retirement Initiatives. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the views of the guests and do not reflect any policy or position of the Center for Retirement Initiatives.

November 11, 20251 hr 1 min

Episode 55: Can PEPs Transform the Retirement Landscape? A Look at Current Progress and Future Direction

Listen to this audio of a GeorgetownCRI webinar held on September 24, 2025, where industry experts Scott Carroll of Gallagher, Kevin Gaston of Vestwell, Michael Kreps of the Groom Law Group, David Lipscomb of Ascensus, and Michael Salerno of NPPG explore the current PEP market landscape. Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) have grown rapidly, reaching $9.41 billion in assets and over 1 million participants across 39,000 employers by the end of 2023. Following a July 2025 Department of Labor Request for Information, our panel discusses how these plans vary widely in practice, what additional regulatory guidance may be needed, and shares lessons learned from early adopters to help employers evaluate whether a PEP aligns with their needs.

November 11, 20251 hr 1 min

Episode 54: Why Do Small Businesses Rarely Claim Tax Credits for Offering Retirement Plans?

Listen to this audio of a GeorgetownCRI webinar held on September 10, 2025 exploring why so few small businesses take advantage of tax credits designed to help them offer retirement plans. Despite substantial expansions to the Section 45E tax credit through the SECURE Acts, fewer than 6% of eligible firms actually claim it—a puzzle that a new CRI working paper, cross-published by NBER, seeks to unravel. Joining moderator Angela Antonelli, Executive Director of Georgetown's Center for Retirement Initiatives, are panelists Adam Bloomfield, Non-Resident Scholar at CRI; Stephanie Liu Cossart, Principal Product Manager at Gusto; Kendra Isaacson, Principal at Mindset; and Sita Slavov, Professor at George Mason University's Schar School. Together, they examine what drives—or hinders—the use of these tax incentives and what policymakers need to understand about reaching their intended beneficiaries.

November 11, 20251 hr 1 min

Episode 53: Addressing the Myths and Considering the Benefits of Private Assets to Retirement Income

Listen to this audio of a GeorgetownCRI webinar held on September 3, 2025 on the topic of private assets in defined contribution retirement plans. Two new GeorgetownCRI reports challenge common myths about private assets and demonstrate how modest exposures to private credit, equity, and real assets can improve retirement outcomes by 7% to 8% for workers with disrupted savings patterns. Joining moderator Angela Antonelli, Research Professor and Executive Director of Georgetown University's Center for Retirement Initiatives, are panelists Deb Boyden from Schroders, Will Hansen from the American Retirement Association, David O'Meara from WTW, and Kevin Walsh from Groom Law Group.

October 2, 202541 min

Episode 52: From Birth to Wealth: Understanding Trump Accounts and The Potential to Transform Financial Well-Being

Barbara Van Zomeren is head of government relations at Ascensus and Michael Kreps chairs the Groom Law Group's Retirement Services practice. In this episode, Barbara and Michael share their insights about Trump accounts - the new childhood savings vehicles offering $1,000 government contributions for eligible newborns. They will explain eligibility and contribution rules, address administrative and operational challenges, consider how this new savings account fits with other existing savings options, and contemplate how these accounts might help transform how America approaches savings, wealth building, and financial security. Ascensus and the Groom Law Group are general supporters of the Center for Retirement Initiatives. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the views of the guests and do not reflect any policy or position of the Center for Retirement Initiatives.

August 4, 202542 min

Episode 51: How Is the Jasper Forum Helping Us Understand Our Global Retirement Ecosystem?

John Mitchem is a Non-Resident Scholar with the Center for Retirement Initiatives and the Owner of JM3 Projects. John also is the Co-Founder of the Jasper Forum along with Jorik Van Zanden, and they bring together retirement policy practitioners and experts from around the world to discuss retirement system challenges, best practices, and lessons learned. In this episode, John explores the $65 trillion international retirement finance market and shares his observations about the global retirement ecosystem, some of the more important trends we see today, and why retirement really is much more than pensions with the long-term potential to significantly shape global economic investments and growth.

May 12, 202537 min

Episode 50: Are Choice Simplicity and Flexibility Key to the Design of Lifetime Income Solutions?

Rebecca Tadikonda, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, Athene, discusses the challenges individuals face saving for retirement, the importance of lifetime income, what savers say they want and need when managing their income once they retire, and how the industry is innovating with products designed to respond to these wants and needs. Athene is a general supporter of the Center for Retirement Initiatives. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the views of the guest and do not reflect any policy or position of the Center for Retirement Initiatives.