Cybersecurity: Together we are stronger.

Employers ask me all the time, how should I think about cyber security for our retirement plan?

My best advice? Stay vigilant and don't go it alone.

I'm Ron Barthel, and I help our clients protect their retirement plans and their employees from cybersecurity threats and fraud.

Employers have a lot on their minds when it comes to cyber security. Fortunately, with your retirement plan, it's not all on you.

Record keepers, third party administrators, custodians everyone plays an important role in securing your plans data.

It's a team effort

and a good team works together to stay ahead of the threats.

We know cyber criminals target accounts with low online activity or limited security. At TIAA, we implement layers of cyber security and fraud protections.

We use analytics and AI to identify at risk employees and then share education and thought leadership to further protect the plans and its participants.

There are ways you can protect the plan to

first talk with plan providers annually about their cybersecurity measures.

Leverage your internal cybersecurity leadership for their expertise.

The threat landscape is always changing, and you can never ask too many questions to do your due diligence.

Use the resources available from your vendors.

TIAA participates in cybersecurity communities for financial services, health care, and education, and also works with government agencies.

These collaborative relationships are invaluable. They help us stay current and even anticipate what's coming, so that we can reinforce our own cybersecurity strategy.

And when we meet with our clients information security teams, we readily pass along what we learn.

The good guys need to work together.

Finally, educate your participants on cybersecurity threats and the latest fraud scams, including your retirees.

They are often the most vulnerable when it comes to online scams, and often the least likely to report it.

The question isn't whether cybersecurity threats will target retirement plans.

It's about being ready for when these threats arise.

TIAA knows what's on the line for your employees. Their financial well-being and cyber security threats should not disrupt that.

Our cyber security never sleeps. So that you can.

Employers ask me all the time, how should I think about cyber security for our retirement plan? My best advice. Stay vigilant and don't go it alone. I'm Ron Barthel, and I help our clients protect their retirement plans and their employees from cyber threats and fraud. Employers have a lot on their minds when it comes to cyber security. Fortunately, with your retirement plan, it's not all on you.

Record keepers, third party administrators, custodians everyone plays an important role in securing your plans. Data. It's a team effort, and a good team works together to stay ahead of the threats. We know cyber criminals target accounts with low online activity or limited security. At TIAA, we implement layers of cyber security and fraud protections. We also use analytics and AI to identify at risk employees, and then share education and thought leadership to further protect the plans and its market participants.

There are ways you can protect the plan, too. First, talk with plan providers annually about their security measures. Leverage your internal security leadership for their expertise. The threat landscape is always changing, and you can never ask too many questions to do your due diligence. Use the resources available from your vendors. TIAA participates in cybersecurity communities for financial services, health care, and education and also works with government agencies.

These collaborative relationships are invaluable. They help us stay current and even anticipate what's coming so that we can reinforce our own cybersecurity strategy. And when we meet with our clients information security teams, we readily pass along what we learn. The good guys need to work together. Finally, educate your participants on cyber security threats and the latest fraud scams, including your retirees.

They are often the most vulnerable when it comes to online scams, and often the least likely to report it. The question isn't whether cybersecurity threats will target your retirement plans. It's about being ready for when these threats arise. TIAA knows what's on the line for your employees. Their financial well-being and cyber threats shouldn't disrupt that. Our cyber security never sleeps, so you can.