Every October, ASPPA Annual brings the retirement industry together to take stock of where it stands and where it is heading. This year, more than 1,000 retirement plan professionals gathered in San Antonio, Texas, from October 18 to 21, 2026.
The Congruent team was there in full force, and we arrived with something new. We hosted an exclusive breakfast session on our brand-new framework for the industry: Solving the TPA Complexity Jigsaw: People, Process, Technology & AI in Action. Presented for the first time by Preetha Elangovan and Sophia Veronica, Product Managers at Congruent Solutions, the session showed how bringing people, processes, technology and AI together can simplify TPA operations, improve efficiency and unlock scalable growth. The conversation continued all week at Booth #208, where we spent four days with TPAs, recordkeepers and plan providers.
When we wrapped up, we asked our team a simple question: what did you see that signals, what comes next? Their answers converged on seven shifts that are reshaping the retirement industry.
The 7 shifts
1. AI Is Everywhere. Maturity Is Still Emerging.
AI featured in nearly every session at ASPPA Annual 2026, reflecting the industry’s growing interest in how it can transform operations, improve efficiency, and support better decisions. Yet adoption and understanding vary widely from firm to firm.
Today’s use cases remain foundational: drafting emails, validating census data, and preparing plan summaries. These tasks deliver real value, but they sit at the edges of plan administration rather than at its core.
What it signals: The next phase will move AI into complex plan administration, with agentic capabilities that support end-to-end workflows. The industry is clearly expecting more advanced capabilities in the years ahead.
2. From Adoption to Accountability
The conversation has shifted from whether to adopt AI to how to deploy it responsibly. Data protection, human oversight, accuracy, and internal governance now lead the agenda. TPAs were also clear that AI means little until they can see the results it produces.
What it signals: AI is a competitive advantage, but only with the right guardrails. The firms that pair AI with strong governance and measurable outcomes will earn the industry’s trust.
3. Strong Foundations Come First
Despite the focus on AI, many firms continue to grapple with legacy platforms, fragmented systems and the manual movement of data between applications. These underlying challenges create operational friction, limit efficiency, and drive strong interest in seamless integration.
What it signals: Modernizing the core is the prerequisite for AI to deliver value at scale. Intelligent technology can only perform as well as the operational foundation it runs on.
4. Talent Is the Next Pressure Point
Hiring, training, and retaining skilled professionals remains a persistent challenge across the industry. At the same time, fewer new entrants are joining the retirement business.
What it signals: Scale-on-demand models that blend automation with specialist support will help firms grow without a proportional increase in headcount.
5. Growth with Intent
The TPA business model is evolving. Sessions repeatedly explored the process gaps firms face with plan sponsors, and how leaders are making deliberate decisions about client relationships, referral partnerships, talent and positioning.
What it signals: More business is not always a better business. Sustainable growth will favor the right relationships over simply more of them.
6. A more competitive landscape
New outsourcing providers and end-to-end recordkeepers were visible on the exhibit floor this year. The small-plan recordkeeping segment, in particular, is attracting more service providers.
What it signals: As choice expands, clear and proven differentiation, backed by expertise and results, will define who stands out.
7. Alternative assets gain momentum
Interest in alternative assets is accelerating in the Solo 401(k) market, and providers are actively looking for systems that can support these investments.
What it signals: Flexible, future-ready platforms will be essential for firms that want to capture this growing demand.
The big picture: every piece matters
Taken together, these seven shifts point to a single conclusion. The future of retirement plan administration will belong to organizations that combine deep domain expertise, strong operational foundations, and intelligent technology.
AI adoption is gaining momentum, but the real differentiator will be how well it is integrated into everyday processes while maintaining accuracy, trust and compliance. For TPAs, recordkeepers and plan providers, that means treating technology, people and processing connected pieces of the same puzzle, rather than separate projects.
Looking ahead to 2027
Thank you to everyone who joined our breakfast session, stopped by our booth, and shared their perspectives with our team. And thank you to ASPPA for creating a platform where the industry can learn, connect and grow together.
For more than two decades, Congruent has been the Platform of Choice for the Retirement Industry that is ready for tomorrow. If these shifts reflect what you are seeing in your own business, we would welcome the conversation.
Connect with our team To explore how we can help you put the pieces in place. We look forward to seeing you at the ASPPA Annual 2027.
