Plan Sponsor Category
The Eddy Awards recognize plan sponsors’ outstanding efforts to educate employees about how to invest their defined contribution plan assets wisely for retirement.
Entrants must be companies or other institutions sponsoring defined contribution plans that give employees investment choice. The entries must be submitted by the plan sponsor, although the educational materials may have been developed with the help of outside suppliers.
Remember: Materials may include both print and online components as part of a single entry for all categories.
Entries will not be judged if the plan sponsor information on the form is incomplete.
Initial Investment Education
Entries should introduce existing employees to the investment options of a new or modified plan, or new employees to the investment options of an existing plan. Entries must focus heavily on the investment process. May include both print and online materials as part of a single entry.
Ongoing Investment Education
Entries should reinforce all or part of your earlier investment education efforts, or change participant investment behavior. May include both print and online materials as part of a single entry.
Special Projects
Showcase special investment education and communication programs with entries as simple as a single postcard or Flash file or an e-mail, rather than a full campaign. Entries can focus on one objective, such as launching new investment options, trying to increase the employee deferral, or educating participants to more broadly diversify their asset allocations. May include both print and online materials as part of a single entry.
Conversions
This category recognizes campaigns devoted to explaining the transition to a new service provider. These entries do not have to contain all of the investment education expected in initial and ongoing education. May include both print and online materials as part of a single entry.
Plan Transitions
Entries in this category should reflect the investment education and communication – in print and/or online -- necessary when employees are eligible to participate in a new defined contribution plan. Such eligibility most often occurs because of mergers, acquisitions and spinoffs. The completeness of the investment education typically ranges from what is found in the initial education category to what is found in conversion materials. Note there is a separate category for conversion to a new service provider.
Retirement Readiness
Eddy judges created this category because of the increased emphasis on preparing participants for retirement. This category recognizes those organizations that have done the best job at educating participants on how much they should save, how to make their savings last, and other steps they need to take for a financially secure retirement. Non-retirement plan information also should be included, such as on retiree medical, housing and other expenses, and Social Security.
Automatic Re-Enrollment
Although automatic enrollment is becoming commonplace, automatic re-enrollment of existing employees is still in its infancy. This category recognizes those plan sponsors that have created effective print and/or online materials to educate employees about the auto re-enrollment process and how it can benefit them. No entries on auto-enrollment will be judged, only those dealing with auto RE-enrollment.
Fee Disclosure and Education
Now that the Labor Department requires fee disclosure, effective education and communication about fees is even more important. This category will reward outstanding efforts to disclose fees charged and to educate plan participants about fees in a clear, easy-to-understand way.
Mobile Applications-- NEW
This new category came about last year when judges of the 2013 awards noticed that several entries included mobile apps, something not seen in previous years. Acknowledging that the ways to educate and communicate are expanding, judges decided to add the category midway through judging the 2013 entries. It’s now a formal category. Apps entries can be for tools that work on smartphones or tablets or both. The only requirements are that they be creative and focus on educating plan participants.
The entries will be judged on the effectiveness and completeness of their investment education messages, except where noted. These are programs that best educate about, and encourage, sound investment practice. Successful entries in all categories will be creative and will have strong identification with the plan sponsor.
Generic vendor materials will not win if they have not been significantly modified and tailored to the plan sponsor entering The Eddy Awards.
Entries must be accompanied by a letter containing evidence of the effectiveness of the program, e.g., an increase in participation or a change in the average asset mix.
For all entries that include online components, the URL or temporary user ID and/or password - valid through March 10, 2014 - must be provided.
NOTE: Please complete and return this entry form together with ONE set of your educational materials. Use a separate envelope and entry form for each category entered; multiple entries may be boxed for mailing only. Do not mount entries on boards. Entries will be returned only if accompanied by an appropriately sized self-addressed envelope.
Plan sponsor entries must include documentation that plan executives approved the submission (if they did not submit the entry themselves).
PowerPoint presentations will not be judged. Please do not include them in your entry.
$95 per entry. Please include credit card information on the last page of this entry form. If submitting multiple entries, please fill in the credit card details for each submission. If your are submitting multiple entries and would like to pay by check please contact Melanie Zanona at (312) 649-5407 for details.
Melanie Zanona
Pensions & Investments
150 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601-3806
Questions? Contact Melanie Zanona at (312) 649-5407 or email [email protected]
NOTE: Please complete and return this entry form together with ONE example of your educational materials. Use a separate envelope and entry form for each category entered. Do not mount entries on boards. Materials will be returned only if accompanied by an appropriately sized self-addressed envelope.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 18, 2014
Download Plan Sponsor Entry Form
View Eddy Awards Service Provider Category categories, rules and regulations
