What The Hey Is Going On With 401(k) M&A?

When it comes to M&A activity in the retirement service provider ecosystem, there has been a lot of activity to say the least. This is something my guest, Dick Darian, the CEO of Wise Rhino Group saw coming and has been actively involved in. During our conversation we hit on a few recent headline grabbing announcements, how the traditional lines between traditional service provider roles continue to blur and the argument for how all of this M&A activity benefits employers, their retirement plans and participants. Dick also shares his thoughts on one of my observations that the M&A trends seem to be moving in the opposite direction of the litigation trends. Good stuff. 

If you liked what you heard today, check out my prior conversation with Dick back in February of 2019. In the coming weeks on the podcast we have thoughts on how the upcoming election could impact retirement plans, you might have seen a few headlines about that, we will tackle stable value funds in  this low interest rate environment.

Finally, if you are want to have a little fun while listening, my microphone died while recording this episode, see if you can tell when I had to switch things out. That’s it, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dick!

Guest Bio

Dick Darian is a Partner at Wise Rhino Group. He lives in Charleston SC with his wife Mary and various four-legged friends. He enjoys spending time with family above all, especially his granddaughters Poppy, Parker, and Lottie!

Since relocating from the New York area in 2017, he has begun working with The College of Charleston assisting with classes within the business school's entrepreneurial program.

Dick’s interests beyond family and business include traveling, reading, sports, and music.

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Education: University of Arizona

Top 5 Albums of all time: Pink Floyd – Dark Side of The Moon Beatles – Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Black Sabbath – Paranoid Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks The Feelies – Crazy Rhythms

Musical artist you would most like to have a meal with (alive or dead):Frank Sinatra

Song Lyric that best describes you:Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging Madly across the Sun It’s not aimed at anyone It’s just escaping on the run And but for the sky there are no fences facing -“Mr. Tambourine Man” – Bob Dylan

Musical Artist you would most like to see perform (alive or dead): James Brown

401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview

Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over 200 prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!