Two retirement plans supported by Nationwide are standing out from the pack for their participant education efforts. The County of San Diego Deferred Compensation Program and Maryland Teachers & State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plans (MSRP) were recognized with Pensions & Investment 2023 Eddy Awards for ongoing investment education for public plans with more than 5,000 participants. Nationwide Retirement Solutions® proudly partnered with both plan sponsors to help drive outcomes for their plan participants.   

The 2023 Eddy Awards highlighted how plan sponsors are using technology to improve employee communication and education, particularly in a post-pandemic world. Pensions & Investments recognized 57 defined contribution campaigns for communications excellence at its annual DC East Conference. 

“Congratulations to the County of San Diego and Maryland Supplemental Retirement Plans for their ongoing commitment to helping plan participants reach their retirement goals,” said Eric Stevenson, president of Nationwide Retirement Solutions. “We all share the same passion for setting up participants for better outcomes in retirement, especially during times of market volatility.”  

The County of San Diego Deferred Compensation Program earned first place in the Ongoing Investment Education category for their Investing Learn to Earn virtual event. The session helped participants understand asset allocation strategies that may be best suited for them, while promoting program awareness, enrollments and contribution increases.  

“Multiple partners played pivotal roles in bringing forth such a fun and innovative experience to participants, who returned again and again to learn about investing and asset allocation. Our core County and Nationwide marketing and field teams spent countless hours facilitating, creating, recording, reviewing, and promoting the event,” said Phillip Blair, manager at County of San Diego Deferred Compensation Program. “We are thankful to collaborate with our team at Nationwide which consistently develops creative and original ways to engage participants, and in turn increases the recognition of the Program and improves retirement outcomes for County employees.” 

MSRP placed second in the Participant Education & Communication category for a creative Tortoise & Hare themed campaign to encourage plan participants to reach their $100k retirement milestone.  

“We are grateful for the innovative team at Nationwide and their continued collaborative partnership with MSRP,” said Ronda Butler Bell, executive director and board secretary for MSRP. “Our Member Services Team is visionary and consistently produces outstanding educational initiatives for our plan participants as well as state employees who have yet to enroll. Our team combined with the Nationwide team is the reason why MSRP continues to win Eddy awards. It's a winning combination!”  

Visit nrsforu.com for more information about the tools and services Nationwide provides to retirement plan participants.  

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