ERISA, Innovation, and the Future of Retirement Plans

Raskin Global

Georgiene “Gina” Alsdorf is a nationally recognized ERISA attorney, regulatory strategist, and shareholder at Carlton Fields. With more than two decades in the financial services industry, she has served as a former Department of Labor investigator, in-house counsel for major financial institutions, and advisor to retirement plan providers, insurers, and fintech innovators. Known for translating dense fiduciary rules into practical guidance, Georgiene works at the intersection of law, business, and emerging technology such as AI and blockchain, and has built a career around her tagline: “Making ERISA fun since 2001.”

In this episode, Leonard and Georgiene discuss:

• How Georgiene’s experience as a regulator, in-house counsel, and advisor gives her a unique industry perspective
• What fiduciary roles really mean and why most plan sponsors shouldn’t go it alone
• Why annuities, guarantees, and risk pooling matter more than most people realize
• How AI and blockchain are quietly reshaping financial services
• Common mistakes firms make when launching new financial products

Key Takeaways: 

• Employers aren’t meant to be retirement experts; the right advisors, TPAs, and fiduciary structures exist to remove unnecessary burden.
• Blockchain and AI aren’t buzzwords; they’re already powering real-world financial applications, especially in insurance and payments.
• Innovation fails most often because firms underestimate cost, timelines, and the complexity of regulation.
• Fiduciary rules aren’t barriers; they’re frameworks that create discipline, transparency, and trust.
• Careers grow when you find important work others avoid and do it exceptionally well.

“As much as people don't like change, things are changing so rapidly right now that you have to be able to, you know, keep, keep an open mind to do things.”

- Georgiene Alsdorf

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