The National Pension Education Association (NPEA) annual conference concluded last week and as always, it is said to have been an invaluable forum to stay informed and up to date on retirement education, communication trends, and important issues facing the public retirement community.

 The global chatbot market is expected to reach $1.23 billion by 2025, a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.3%, according to a recent report by Grand View Research. What must you know about chatbots, at a minimum? View our infographic here.

The main purpose of theft and robbery is to take prime assets away to make money or become rich. In today’s world, data thieves operate on the same principle – to take personal and financial data in exchange for money or recognition. Data is the main asset of consumers today. The retail industry is a target for payment card data, the finance industry for financial assets and investment data and even the media industry is not spared and prime-time shows like HBO's Game of Thrones’ episodes were hacked and leaked. Even the recent Equifax data breach only shows that personal data can be as valuable as any financial asset.

The early days of computer programming were quite daunting for everyone. Different types and makes of desktops and PCs had their own unique features and architecture and computing power was expensive. This forced programmers to create specific machine instructions so that different machines could understand and interpret the code. This proved to be slow and tough for programmers. When Object Oriented Programming (OOP) languages came into existence, it helped programmers to solve many problems instead of spending time on writing machine instructions.

Industries that have matured on managing customer satisfaction, like airlines or retail, understand that expectations around service quality, delivered quality and communication are key drivers of consumer satisfaction.  One mantra that has become universal is - small variations in delivered quality can result in significant differences in satisfaction/complaints, depending on how expectations and communication are managed. 

Looking introspectively at knowledge and learning management results in putting blinders on and doesn’t allow organizations to fully realize the benefits of their knowledge and learning management initiatives and solutions.

On July 1, 2017, Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) will go into effect at a majority of pension agencies across the country. COLAs protect members’ annuity from inflation erosion, but without a modern benefits administration solution, COLAs can erode the patience of the staff trying to administer them.

Less than 30 years ago, defined contribution (DC) retirement plans were a rather novel retirement savings vehicle. Now, DC plans are the most popular employer-sponsored retirement plan in the United States, according to the American Benefits Counsel.  Within the public sector, DC plans are playing an ever more increasing role in state and local retirement programs.

It’s estimated that American businesses lose $31.5 billion each year simply because information is not shared effectively. This staggering loss of revenue is the result of employees and customers not having information to make the best decisions; wasted time in trying to find information; wasted time and effort in reinventing something that’s already been created; and simply being misinformed. 

After working hard developing a tailored unemployment insurance solution for the Maryland and West Virginia Consortium project, a group of Sagitec employees are practicing the 3,000 year-old tradition of yoga once a week after work. A licensed yoga teacher is leading the 10-week yoga class, which takes place at the office building of Sagitec’s client, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.