Concerns and Expectations What is the top concern facing your practice today? 2017 Fee compression Adding new clients Practice management Competition/Practice differentiation Government regulation Staffing Compliance/Fiduciary issues Profitability Participant communication/education Marketing Client retention Succession planning Plan sponsor communication/education Fee disclosure/transparency Technology Overall economy 2016 40% 34% 32% 30% 30% 27% 28% 25% 24% 33% 23% 18% 22% 33% 21% 13% 18% 16% 15% 18% 14% 11% 12% 8% 8% 11% 7% 4% 7% 10% 4% 6% In terms of the number of investment options on your DC plan client lineups, have the number of funds changed in the past year? 2017 Number of funds on DC plan lineups have stayed the same for many/most of my DC clients Number of funds on DC plan lineups have decreased for many/most of my DC clients Number of funds on DC plan lineups have increased for many/most of my DC clients 2016 66% 60% 27% 30% 8% 10% How confident are you that most of your plan sponsor clients' employees will achieve their retirement income goals by age 65? Very confident Confident Somewhat confident Only a little confident Not at all confident Unsure 2017 5% 2016 4% 31% 22% 43% 46% 16% 19% 5% 0% What do you predict will be the most significant growth area/strategy for your practice in the next 12 months? 2017 401(k) plans Fiduciary services Referrals Strategic partnerships Participant advice/education Plan/Fee benchmarking Defined benefit plans Nonqualified plans 403(b) plans Rollovers Retirement income discussions Target-date funds Other workplace benefits Retirement income products Fee disclosure Health care Exchange-traded funds 2016 53% 51% 40% 46% 40% 33% 32% 30% 30% 28% 17% 22% 16% 14% 16% 12% 14% 13% 9% 8% 7% 7% 5% 5% 5% 1% 1% 8% 3% 5% 4% 6% 5% 2% 8% 1% " We do not get caught in finding attraction to any particular investment managers. We do not get emotionally attached. We evaluate each fund and include manager tenure as a means of evaluating the fund, but have no concern about 'name' of the manager. We do, however, find attraction in the management style of the stock selection process at a few managers. " Dually registered RIA/BD; adviser plan assets: >$200mm - $400mm planadviser.com november-december 2017 | 53http://www.planadviser.com