What Are the Hot Topics at This Year’s ISCEBS Symposium?

July 24, 2012

The 31st Annual Employee Benefits Symposium, hosted by the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ISCEBS), will be taking place in 2 weeks in San Francisco.  For 2 ½ days, you can immerse yourself in technical and strategic sessions cutting across the major issues and challenges you are facing—and you’ll be in good company. The Symposium has a reputation of bringing together some of the brightest minds in the benefits and compensation industry and providing abundant opportunities to rub shoulders with a wide variety of HR professionals. 

The 3 main tracks this year include Healthcare, Retirement, and General Benefits (plus an additional track for Canadian Benefits) so you can easily choose the sessions that best fit your specialty or branch out into a new area or interest.   The Symposium kicks off with The Future of Retirement, where Hon. David M. Walker, former Comptroller General of the United States will give the lay of the land concerning what is needed from a policy point of view for shaping a “new” retirement.  I’ll be speaking Monday, August 6th mid-morning about Workplace Retirement Education: One Size Fits All Is Extinct, where I’ll share best practices of moving to a holistic retirement and financial educational program.

Here are my other picks from the action-packed agenda:

  • Monday afternoon, Michael Goyer of Putnam Investments will be speaking on Wealth Meets Health: Why Income Replacement Benchmark, Including Personal Health Care, Can Be Critical to Your DC Plan Success.
  • Tuesday morning, Jack VanDerhei, Ph.D., CEBS, with the Employee Benefit Research Institute will focus on What Happens to Target-Date Fund Investments at Retirement?
  • Tuesday afternoon,  Christi Wise from Fidelity Investments will look at What to Do Now—The Benefits Spent on Health Care vs. Retirement Are Now Upside Down
  • Wrapping up the multi-day event on Wednesday is Adam Wootton, Ph.D. from Towers Watson on a discussion on Using Games Increase Employee Education.

Of course, the sponsor exhibit area also provides the opportunity to see what’s new and cutting edge in the world of benefits and compensation so I hope to see you all there!