Raising the standard: What plan sponsors deserve from their providers
Principal and Head of Client Relationship Management and Sales
Across 30 years in retirement and relationship management, I’ve seen what helps plan providers deliver the most value for their sponsors.
Today’s demanding environment makes the need for strong provider partnerships more important than ever. Sponsors face increasing fiduciary demands, legal risk, and plan design and regulatory pressures. Meanwhile, participants are struggling to save for retirement: 6% of all participants took hardship withdrawals last year, up year over year since 2020 when it was only 2%.1
These realities are what drew me to Vanguard. The company’s longstanding focus on reducing complexity and improving client outcomes positions us to help sponsors meet the moment.
What stands out about Vanguard
Before I joined, I knew Vanguard’s reputation: its loyal client base, scale, low cost, and index leadership.
All true, but there’s so much more to the Vanguard story.
What stands out now is our leadership and disciplined approach. We’re strengthening outcomes across innovation, product development, and client service.
We demonstrate this in a few ways:
- Investing in digital and mobile experiences to increase engagement. Our efforts are reflected in our number two ranking in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Experience Study.2
- Building tools that provide insights, not just more data, to help plan sponsors make quicker, more confident decisions. Today 90% of the plan sponsors we work with use our digital tools to complete tasks.3 Recent updates to our Plan Health reporting have significantly reduced reporting time.
- Deploying dedicated client teams who build enduring relationships—reflected in our average client tenure of 22 years.4
Redefining success
A blog series focused on better outcomes
I’m honored to introduce The Takeaway, our new blog series. Vanguard leaders will share what they’re hearing from plan sponsors, consultants, and participants—and what that demands of us as an industry.
The goal is simple: Stay grounded in what works, challenge what doesn’t, and push toward better outcomes.
I’m looking forward to the conversation.
Related items
Sources
1 How America Saves 2026. Vanguard, 2026. https://workplace.vanguard.com/content/iig-transformation/pdf/how-america-saves-2026.html.
2 Account Security Outweighs Convenience Among Retirement Plan Website and Mobile App Users, JD Power Finds. J.D. Power, September 10, 2025. https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2025-us-retirement-plan-digital-experience-study.
3 Vanguard, as of April 30, 2026.
4 Vanguard, as of March 31, 2026.
Note
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.