As health care costs rise, there is more overlap than ever between health decisions and financial decisions. So much is obvious to forward-thinking financial advisers, but what is less clear is where health care itself is heading in the 21st century.
On the one hand, astounding technological progress is being made in the treatment of many diseases and infirmities, and collective lifestyle habits pertaining to diet and exercise are doing their part to improve the length and quality of human life. On the other hand, the world remains in the grip of a destructive and deadly pandemic that has already reduced the average U.S. life expectancy by more than a year and a half—and closer to three years for Black and Hispanic Americans. This was the steepest decline since World War II, and the situation could get worse before it gets better.
Simply put, advisers must be cognizant of these facts and work to integrate their clients’ financial, mental and physical wellness into one comprehensive picture. For example, beyond developing an appreciation for navigating the health care and insurance systems, it is becoming increasingly important to understand health savings accounts (HSAs) and their potential role in retirement planning. Join us as we share insights on how HSAs have evolved in today’s health care landscape, the impact of current events on health care expenses/savings, and opportunities now to prepare for future health-related expenses. There will also be a discussion of government-provided benefits, such as Medicare and Social Security, and how these can be factored into planning efforts.
Thanks to American Century Investments for sponsoring this timely and important webinar!
Ashley Ritter joined Compass Financial Partners in March 2020 as Director, Financial Wellness. In her role, Ashley leads the firm’s financial wellness team including its education strategy and the development of engaging participant communication and education content with an emphasis on overall financial wellness for our retirement plan clients. Prior to joining Compass Financial Partners, Ashley served as a Participant Experience Consultant at Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement & Trust for five years, where she created and implemented communication strategies for retirement plan sponsors. At Wells Fargo, she led the creative development teams to three Pension & Investment Eddy Awards and two Plan Sponsor Council of America Signature Awards These awards represent industry acknowledgement for creative, engaging participant communications that yield above average results.
During her 24 years serving the retirement industry she also worked as a transition project leader for TIAA and a relationship manager for Fidelity Investments. Ashley is passionate about bringing her retirement work experience to plan sponsors and their participants in order to improve retirement outcomes for all.
Catherine Collinson
CEO and president of nonprofit Transamerica Institute and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies
Catherine Collinson is CEO and president of nonprofit Transamerica Institute and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. Catherine is a retirement and market trends expert and champion for Americans who are at risk of not achieving a financially secure retirement. She oversees all research and outreach initiatives, including the Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey. With more than two decades of retirement industry-related experience, Catherine has become a nationally recognized voice on retirement trends. Catherine is regularly cited by top media outlets on aging and retirement-related topics, speaks at industry conferences, and authors articles in leading industry journals. She has testified before Congress on matters related to employer-sponsored retirement plans among small business, which have featured the need to raise awareness of the Saver’s Credit among those who would benefit most from the important tax credit. She co-hosts ClearPath: Your Roadmap to Health and Wealth on WYPR, Baltimore’s NPR news station.