Retiring Minds - Their Next Chapter(s)

Bob Kaplan was the Director of Technical Education for the American Retirement Association (ARA) from 2017 through2025.  In this role he was the Subject Matter Expert for the content of the educational programs for the ARA.  Bob was also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and on webcasts. Bob retired at the end of 2025 but still works oneducational products and exam review sessions for ARA.

Bob is a former member of ASPPA’s Leadership Council and Co-Chair of the organization’s Government AffairsCommittee.  Bob is a former member of NIPA’s Board of Directors and the Board of Managers of the American Instituteof Retirement Education.

In 2009, Bob was presented with NIPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to the retirement industry.

Bob was presented with the prestigious Thomas J. Finnegan III Educator’s Award from ASPPA in 2025 for his dedication to the education of retirement industry personnel.

Bob led McKay Hochman’s education department for 10 years and worked for Voya for 9 years, traveling around thecountry presenting educational seminars.

Bob has over 45 years of experience in the retirement industry including administration, consulting, sales, and training.  He is also a former high school basketball coach.

FRED REISH is an attorney whose practice focuseson fiduciary and best interest standards of care, prohibited transactions, conflicts of interest, and retirement plan issues. He is of counsel at the Ferenczy Benefits Law Center and acts as the Director of ERISA and Fiduciary Strategy for Prime Capital.  Fred is a Charter Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. He has been recognized as one of the “Legends” of the retirement industry by both PLANADVISER magazine and PLANSPONSOR magazine. Fred has received recognition awards including the ASPPA/Morningstar 401(k) Leadership Award. 

Fred currently serves as a Research Fellow at the RetirementIncome Institute. He has written more than 350 articles and four books about retirement plans.

Professionally, Blaine Aikin retired on July 1, 2024.Immediately prior to retirement, Blaine was the Founder and Principal of Fiduciary Insights, an independent provider of fiduciary subject matter expertise for organizations that employ or provide services to investment advisors.

Fifteen years prior to founding Fiduciary Insights in 2019,Blaine served in the executive leadership of Fi360. He was CEO from 2007 through 2016 and Executive Chairman from 2016 through 2019. Upon retirement, he relinquished his Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst® designationadministered by Fi360.

For 40 years Blaine has been active in the financial planning community. He served as a Director of the CFP Board of Standards in the United States from 2013 through 2016 and Chair of CFP Board in 2017. In 2018 and 2019 he chaired CFP Board’s Standards Resources Commission and currently serves on the Professional Standards Committee of the international Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB). Upon retirement, he relinquished the Certified Financial Planner® designation he earned in 1985.

Blaine has retained his Chartered Financial Analyst®designation during retirement, consistent with the policies of CFA Institute.

On the personal side, Blaine is an avid outdoorsman andproponent of sustainable forestry. Family and forests are the focus of his attention in retirement. He is a Pennsylvania Forest Steward and a Master Watershed Steward (programs administered by Penn State University). He currently serves on the volunteer Council of the Finley Center for PrivateForests at Penn State and recently served as Council Chair. Blaine resides on forested property in northwest Pennsylvania and actively practices sustainable forestryon property in Pennsylvania and Montana.

Sheldon H. Smith, attorney at law, retired from the law firm of Bryan Cave LLP where he practiced in the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation client servicesgroup and its Fiduciary Litigation client services group, advising clients on ERISA, qualified retirement plans, welfare benefit plans, executive compensation, and fiduciary duties.  Mr. Smith practiced law in private law firms for more than 43 years.

During his career, Mr. Smith designed and assisted clients with the implementation and operation of qualified and non-qualified pension benefit plans, welfare benefit plans and equity-based compensation plans. He advised benefits committees and plan sponsor clients regarding their fiduciary duties, performed fiduciary duty compliance audits on employee benefit plans, and conducted fiduciary training. Mr. Smith represented clients before the IRS, Department of Labor, and the PBGC, and, with over 40 years of litigation experience, defended clients in ERISA and benefits, tax and probate litigation. Mr. Smith has also served as a mediator and as an arbitrator in benefits and probate disputes.

Mr. Smith’s clients were both public and private companies,tax-exempt enterprises, and governmental organizations.

From 1980 to 1986, Mr. Smith was a member of either the adjunct or visiting faculties of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where he has taught in both its Graduate TaxProgram and the law school. He received his undergraduate degree (B.A.) from Washington University in St. Louis and both of his law degrees (J.D. and LL.M. (taxation)) from the University of Denver.

Mr. Smith was one of the country’s foremost continuingprofessional education instructors in his areas of expertise for over 35 years. He presented seminars and gave speeches in most of the states to many diverse types of professional groups, including the American Institute of CertifiedPublic Accountants, more than 30 different state societies of CPAs, Tax Section of the American Bar Association, Western Pension & Benefits Conference, American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), the College for Financial Planning, Financial Planners Association, IACEBS, Thomas Reuters, FTWilliams, banking and insurance organizations, and others.  Mr. Smith has authored numerous articles, blogs, and course materials in his areas of expertise.

Mr. Smith served as president of the Denver Tax Group (1983). He was a member of the Western Pension and Benefits Council since 1986 and served as its President (2000) and as President of the Denver Chapter (1999). Mr. Smith is a Past President of ASPPA (2010), sat on the Board of Directors of the American Retirement Association and was a senioradvisor to its Government Affairs Committee. Mr. Smith is a Fellow of The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel and has been selected to "Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers," "The Best Lawyers in America," "Who’s Who in American Law," "Who’s Who in American Education," and as a Colorado Super Lawyer. 

In 2009, Mr. Smith was honored to be named the Outstanding Alumni Law Star by the University of DenverSturm College of Law. In 2015, Mr. Smith received the prestigious Eidsen Award from the American Society of Pension Plan Professionals and Actuaries.

Sal L. Tripodi maintained a consulting practice in the employee benefits area, TRI Pension Services. Through TRI Pension Services, he provided technical training and consulting services in ERISA-related areas, and conducted numerous seminars around the country, including an annual seminar in Honolulu until 2019. He is the original author of a nine-volume reference guide, “The ERISA Outline Book,”which is used by pension practitioners nationwide. Effective January 1, 2019, the rights to “The ERISA Outline Book” were acquired by the American Retirement Association, which now updates the book. Until January 2024, TRI PensionServices published an electronic quarterly newsletter, eRISA Update. Sal served as the President of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) for the 2007-2008 term. He was an adjunct professor at the Universityof Denver Graduate Tax Program from 1986 through 2007.

He started his employee benefits career with the Internal Revenue Service (1979-1983). From 1983 to 2024, Sal worked in the private sector, consulting on employee benefit matters, writing reference materials concerning employee benefit plans, and conducting numerous seminars. In 2001, Mr. Tripodi received ASPPA’s Educator Award and in 2013 was awarded ASPPA’s Eidson Founders Award. He is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel since 2007. Mr. Tripodi received a J.D. at Catholic University of America Law School (1979) and an LL.M. at GeorgetownUniversity Law School (1983). 

In retirement, he has become involved in a host of communityand charitable activities. He is a founder of the Upper Downtown Neighborhood Association in Denver and chairs the Arts & Beautification Committee, which is focused on fostering more publicly available art in Downtown Denver and enhance the visual aesthetics of the city. He serves on the Board of Directors of his condo association and on the Board of the 14th Street General Improvement District in Denver. He works closely with Elevated Denver, an organization focused on the delivery and accessibility of services to theunhoused. He has been involved in several local political campaigns and works with Mayor Johnston’s office on a regular basis.  

Retirement has also provided ample time for Sal and hiswife, Mimi, to travel and to visit their daughter Francesca in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and her husband and two children, and their daughter Maggie in San Bruno, California, and her husband and two children.

Jeanne Thompson is the founder of Jeanne Thompson Global, a consultancy that partners with forward-thinking organizations to create comprehensive retirement transition programs. After retiring from Fidelity Investments in December 2021, Jeanne discovered firsthand that people need support beyond financial planning to not only make the decision to retire, but to successfully transition into retirement. This lived experience led her to develop an innovative approach addressing five essential pillars often overlooked in traditional retirement planning: creating structure, developing hobbies, evolving identity, building community, and finding purpose.

Through Jeanne Thompson Global, she helps organizations develop structured retirement transition programs that bridge traditional retirement planning with the human elements of transition, empowering people to make confident decisions about their next chapter.

As a sought-after global keynote speaker Jeanne is known for her engaging storytelling and consistently delivers actionable insights with authenticity and warmth. She addresses audiences worldwide on core topics such as: The Retirement Paradox: Why Having Enough Isn't Enough and Beyond the Gold Watch: Designing Retirement Transitions That Actually Work. Currently, Jeanne is working on a book about navigating the transition to retirement, further extending her mission to help others thrive in this important life stage.

Prior to founding her consultancy, Jeanne spent three decades in financial services, with the majority of that time in Fidelity’s 401(k) business and culminated her time at Fidelity working with Fortune 100 companies in her role as Senior Vice President of Benefits Consulting.

Throughout her career, Jeanne’s insights have been featured in top tier media outlets including The New York Times, Kiplinger’s, The Motley Fool, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, USA Today, Washington Post, Newsweek, CNBC and CNN Money. In addition, she has amassed a following of 35,000 retirees and pre-retirees on TikTok who value her unique and authentic perspective on all things retirement.

Drawing on decades of experience in the retirement industry, her ability to connect on a human level with audiences globally and significant media recognition, Jeanne is a trusted expert on a more holistic approach to retirement transitions.

Mark worked in the defined contribution industry for morethan 30 years and served as an independent advisor since 1999. Mark's career focused on providing investment advisory services to fiduciaries of corporate retirement plans. Based in Los Angeles, he served clients from New York toHonolulu. Mark has been frequently quoted in national media and regularly spoke at events on retirement, investment and educational issues. Mark has testified before both the House Ways & Means and the House Education and LaborCommittees. He served on the Board of Directors of ASPPA, the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries and on the founding Committee of NAPA, the National Association of Plan Advisors. He was honored with the opportunity to join the Advisory Board of the John Marshall School of Law in Chicago Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits. Mark was named one of the “Top 50 RetirementAdvisors” by the 401kwire. Earlier in his career Mark was with Fidelity, Schwab, and GE Capital. Mark lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Tricia.

Dallas Salisbury was long synonymous with the Employee

Throughout his career, Dallas has been a member of a number of commissions, study panels and editorial advisory boards.  Dallas is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources, the recipient of the 1997 Award for

IN 2020 he was appointed by the DC Mayor and DC City Council to a two-year term to represent the public on the DC Board for Long-Term Care Administration to develop implementing rules for licensure of assisted living

John Rekenthaler was vice president of research for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

Rekenthaler joined Morningstar in 1988 and served in several capacities. He has overseen Morningstar's research methodologies, led thought leadership initiatives such as the Global Investor Experience report that assesses the experiences of mutual fund investors globally, and been involved in a variety of new development efforts.

Rekenthaler previously served as president of Morningstar Associates, LLC, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. During his tenure, he has also led the company’s retirement advice business, building it from a start-up operation to one of the largest independent advice and guidance providers in the

Prior to his role at Morningstar Associates, he was the firm's director of research, where he helped to develop Morningstar's quantitative methodologies, such as the Morningstar Rating for funds, the Morningstar Style Box, and industry sector classifications. He also served as editor of Morningstar Mutual Funds and Morningstar FundInvestor.

Rekenthaler holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, from which he graduated with high

Mathew Greenwald is the Founder and Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives of Greenwald Research, a market research firm founded in 1985 that specializes in retirement, life insurance, employee benefits and other financial

His firm has worked with the Employee Benefit Research Institute to conduct the Retirement Confidence Survey, which has annually monitored American’s attitudes toward

Prior to founding Greenwald Research, Matt spent 12 years at the American Council of Life Insurers.  From 1977 to 1985, he was ACLI's Director of Social Research and was responsible for programs monitoring public attitudes toward financial services issues, demographic research and futures research. 

Greenwald Research has conducted research for many of the nation’s most prominent financial services companies, including Fidelity Investments, J. P. Morgan, Lincoln