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Spectrum Update and Service Enhancements Q4'2018

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! As we begin 2019, we wanted to provide our clients, advisory partners, professional connections, and key contacts with a quick business update. Q4'2018 was a strong quarter for Spectrum. In summary, we were thrilled that one of Spectrum's clients, Seattle Indian Health Board, was recognized as ABG's Plan Sponsor of the Year. Spectrum enhanced participant account security by implementing multi-factor authentication on its retirement platform. Finally, we launched a Cash Balance Pension Plan Calculator, to show employers whether cash balance pension plans might make sense for their organizations.

Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB) provides community health care and services targeting the urban American Indian and Alaska Native population in greater Seattle. SIHB engaged Spectrum to recommend enhanced retirement plan designs, with a focus on participant outcomes. The results proved significant. Participation rates rose from 40.5% to 93.8%; average participant elective deferrals rose by nearly 90%; and average employer contributions increased by almost a factor of 4x. ABG recognized these outcomes by awarding SIHB as the 2018 Plan Sponsor of the Year!

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enhances account security by requiring multiple factors as a conditions of system access. Spectrum implemented MFA on its retirement platform in Q4'2018 in beta test with select Plan Sponsors. We anticipate widespread MFA deployment in 2019.

Do you want to fund more towards retirement? If yes, a Cash Balance Pension Plan might make sense. Launched in Q4'2018, Spectrum's Cash Balance Pension Plan Calculator, helps employers to evaluate cash balance pension plans for their organizations. Please send an email to sales@spectrumpension.com or contact your Spectrum Consultant to learn more.

As we approached year-end, many clients expressed interest in the service enhancements released earlier in 2018. We are excited that Spectrum Payroll360™ has been widely adopted by our clients. Spectrum Payroll360™ features bi-directional data integration with major payroll vendors. With it, employers automate retirement plan contribution reporting and funding. Imagine - you never again need to manually upload payroll data to retirement providers!

Studies have shown that worker financial stress is a leading cause of poor performance in the workplace. Our workplace financial wellness program, Spectrum FinWell™ addresses the root causes of employee financial stress. Spectrum FinWell™ enables workers to meet financial goals and perform better in the workplace. The Spectrum FinWell™ Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Professional Call Center provides workers with unlimited access to financial professionals. Our CFP Professionals can help with budgeting, debt management, investing, planning, and saving. Spectrum FinWell™ is offered as a standalone service independent of workplace retirement plan administration.

Spectrum was delighted also to introduce competitively priced Cybersecurity Awareness Training Services. With phishing attacks and other cybersecurity threats on the rise, organizations must protect themselves. Our Cybersecurity Awareness Training Services can automate much of the process, making adoption easy for employers. If you are interested in learning more, or know an organization that could benefit from our products or services, Spectrum's online proposal system makes it easy to request information.

Our product and service roadmap remains robust. Please stay tuned for a future update on Spectrum's managed account technology and mobile app. We will send our next quarterly update in April 2019. If you would like to hear from us more regularly, please connect through Spectrum's social media channels. Also, we always welcome feedback, so feel free to contact us on any matter. Again, we thank every client and professional advisor for placing their confidence and trust in our firm. All our best to you for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2019.


Sincerely,

Petros P. Koumantaros
Managing Director & CEO