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ARA AdvocacyARA Advocacy
ARA AdvocacyARA Advocacy
  • About Us
    • Mission
    • Team
  • Take Action
    • Retirement Fairness for Educators and Nonprofit Worker
  • Resources
    • ARA Advocacy Materials
    • 403(b) CIT Materials
    • The What’s and When’s of SECURE 2.0
    • Comment Letters
    • Diversity Initiatives
    • Secure 2.0 Report
    • Statements to Congress
    • Statements to State Legislatures
  • Support
    • ARA PAC
    • Volunteer

ARA 403(b) CIT Materials

The American Retirement Association, on behalf of its five retirement industry associations, prepares and delivers robust policy papers that explain its positioning on a variety of retirement-related issues. These papers are used to educate lawmakers about retirement policy. 

Support 403(b) Plan Parity with 401(k) Plans

ARA Talking Points: Congress Should Pass the Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act
The American Retirement Association (ARA) is a non-profit education and advocacy organization for retirement plan and benefits professionals. Our mission is to advocate for policies that give every working American the ability to have a comfortable retirement. Accordingly, the ARA supports fixing a quirk in securities law that unnecessarily prohibits participants in 403(b) plans from having access to Collective Investment Trusts (CITs).
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ARA Whitepaper: CITs will Lower Investment Fees for 403(b) Plan Participants
The ARA supports passing the Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act because it will bring equity to 403(b) participants by allowing them access to CITs (which are readily available in 401(k) plans). If passed, this bill will greatly increase the number of Americans that have access to lower fee funds and help millions of Americans more work towards a comfortable retirement.
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ARA Map of 403(b) Participants
Map showing a state-by-state breakdown of the14.5 million American workers in the nonprofit sector that currently participate in 403(b) plans.
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Great Gray Trust Whitepaper: Collective Investment Trusts and Good Governance Considerations
Plan sponsors and other fiduciaries responsible for 401(k) plan investment menu construction, including their advisors, are demonstrating growing interest in adopting collective investment trusts (CITs) as plan investment options. There are several powerful market forces driving this trend, including lower fees and increased flexibility. 
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BlackRock Whitepaper: Improving Investment Outcomes for 403(b) Plan Participants
The Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act would allow 403(b) plans better pricing flexibility and lower fees. Some of the key features that have made CITs popular with plan sponsors include: pricing flexibility and lower fees, access to a broader swath of asset classes and investment strategies, and improved performance.
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The American Retirement Association (ARA) is a nonprofit professional organization established to empower retirement plan professionals who are dedicated to building a better retirement for Americans.

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