Academic Night

Join us for an engaging academic session with Professor Chalmers, who will present research offering key insights into retirement plan designs that promote greater lifetime financial security. He will highlight several of these design features as implemented in OregonSaves, the first state-sponsored retirement program mandated for private employers. As of the fourth quarter of 2025, OregonSaves has accumulated $445 million in retirement savings across more than 148,000 accounts.

Prior to our dinner session join us for an insightful session featuring Skylar Jones, Senior Vice President, and Lindsay Hoeschen, Account Executive Lead at IMA Financial Group, as they unpack the forces reshaping employer-sponsored healthcare. This discussion will explore the key drivers behind rising costs and highlight how organizations—particularly in the middle market—can take a more strategic, financially driven approach to benefits. Attendees will walk away with practical perspectives on transforming healthcare from a growing expense into a more manageable and value-aligned component of their overall business strategy. with enterprise‑level financial and risk goals.

Learning objectives:

• What’s actually driving healthcare cost acceleration nationally—Rx pricing dynamics, provider leverage, and regulatory shifts—and why middle‑market employers are feeling it disproportionately in the Pacific Northwest.
• How forward‑thinking CFO’s are using creative benefits strategies to turn healthcare from a fixed cost problem into a controllable financial lever.
• Non‑traditional cost containment approaches beyond standard renewals, including alternative funding models and pharmacy strategies that are producing real savings.
• A practical framework to stress‑test your current benefits strategy, surface hidden inefficiencies, and realign healthcare spend with enterprise‑level financial and risk goals.

*1.5 CPE credits are available for this event (1 CPE credit for the PD session and .5 for the keynote.)