It’s not often that we dedicate ourselves to the topic of investment results and all the activity that goes into them. It’s true: small improvements in investment results over a long period of time makes for big impact.

At 5%, $100 a month deposited faithfully over 40 years can grow to over $153,000. (We’re using a simple calculator from Nerdwallet. Do try this at home).

As a retirement program manager, one of your biggest hurdles is getting people to open and fund an account. Behavioral science and a careful look at human decision making can help overcome this first step. Using defaults can increase the proportion of employees enrolled in a program. Leveraging precommitments can help people overcome procrastination and keep contributions in line with inflation. These changes can shift participation by impressive amounts!

We talk with J. Spencer Williams, Founder and CEO of Retirement Clearinghouse about autoportability of retirement assets - the idea that assets would move with the employee from job to job - as promised in ERISA back in 1974. The promise is coming closer to becoming a reality. We talk about where, when, and how. Hint: near you, soon, and the design has elegance. Part Two.