Driving New England growth through independent, advisor-focused retirement solutions

DRESHER, Pa., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FuturePlan by Ascensus, a leading retirement solutions partner dedicated to helping advisors, recordkeepers, and plan sponsors deliver better outcomes for savers, today announced the appointment of David Gunning as Vice President, Sales Consultant, to support continued growth across the New England region.

Gunning brings nearly a decade of experience working closely with financial advisors, recordkeeping partners, and plan sponsors, helping to identify opportunities, navigate plan design decisions, and deliver retirement solutions aligned to client needs. Based in the Boston area, he is known for his consultative approach and ability to build strong, collaborative relationships across the advisor and partner ecosystem.

In addition to his professional experience, Gunning is an active member of the retirement industry community, serving as a Board Member of the Western Pension & Benefits Council – Seattle Chapter, a member of Women in Pensions Network (WIPN), and a CFP® professional. He will report to Mark Wiggins, Divisional Vice President, South/East.

“David’s appointment underscores FuturePlan’s commitment to delivering truly independent, advisor-first retirement solutions in New England,” said Kasey Price, President of FuturePlan. “He understands the importance of aligning plan design with the needs of advisors and the clients they serve, and how to navigate those conversations in a practical, solutions-oriented way. His addition enhances our ability to deliver flexible, independent retirement strategies backed by experience and a strong understanding of the broader marketplace.”

FuturePlan differentiates itself through a model that combines national scale with local expertise and independence. As part of the Ascensus family, FuturePlan benefits from robust infrastructure and resources; however, it operates with clear boundaries that preserve its ability to design and deliver retirement plans based solely on client needs, free from external influence.

Gunning’s addition reflects FuturePlan’s strategic focus on expanding its footprint in key regions while maintaining the independence and personalized service that advisors and plan sponsors value.

Gunning earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

About FuturePlan by Ascensus

FuturePlan is a leading retirement solutions partner delivering plan design, administration, and compliance services that help employers, advisors, and participants achieve better retirement outcomes.

Backed by Ascensus, the engine at the center of America’s savings ecosystem, FuturePlan brings more than 45 years of experience in retirement plan service and administration. The company supports more than 33,800 plan sponsors, represents more than $101 billion in assets under administration, and is powered by more than 1,500 skilled team members, including one of the industry’s largest in-house ERISA teams.

We partner closely with financial advisors, recordkeepers, and payroll providers to deliver tailored retirement plan solutions across plan design, cash balance and defined benefit services, 3(16) fiduciary support, non-qualified plans, MEPs/PEPs, and solo plans.

Our unique approach to plan management makes us a true category-of-one provider—by being your trusted partner delivering tailored outcomes with an ease of experience. For more information, visit futureplan.com.

About Ascensus
Ascensus is the engine at the center of America’s savings ecosystem. The company makes saving easier by bringing together intuitive technology, AI, and high-touch service that supports better financial outcomes for savers, small- to mid-sized businesses, state governments, and leading corporations and financial institutions. Ascensus offers comprehensive qualified and nonqualified retirement plan solutions, third-party retirement plan administration, 529 education and ABLE savings program administration, corporate- and bank-owned life insurance solutions, as well as fiduciary and total rewards services. The company supports over 16 million savers, oversees $913+ billion dollars in assets under administration, and employs more than 5,000 associates as of March 31, 2026. For more information, visit ascensus.com.

Contact:
Greg Winter
SVP Corporate Communications
Gregory.Winter@ascensus.com

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SOURCE FuturePlan by Ascensus

New playbook details how operators with pre-existing earned media presence outperform peers at state market open — and why the September 2024 DraftKings Regulation FD action is now the reference case for every public operator’s communications workflow

NEW YORK, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 5W, the AI Communications Firm, today released The Gaming & Gambling Earned Media Playbook 2026: Building Position Before the Market Opens — a strategic guide for sports betting operators, online gaming platforms, and land-based casino brands navigating the next 24 months of U.S. state legalization. 

The playbook draws on 5W’s Gaming Trust Index 2026, the first annual study to systematically analyze marketing spend allocation and brand credibility outcomes across U.S. sports betting, online gaming, and land-based casino markets. The Index analyzed $3.9 billion in tracked U.S. gambling marketing spend across more than 47,000 articles. 

The misallocation, in numbers: 

36% of spend ($1.42 billion) on television13% ($520 million) on celebrity and athlete partnerships2.3% ($90 million) on earned media and PR1.5% ($60 million) on responsible gambling programsThe two lowest-investment categories generate the highest documented return on brand credibility of any channel analyzed 

The state pipeline window: U.S. online gaming generated $12.8 billion in GGR in 2025 across seven legal states, with New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia in active legislative consideration for online gaming, plus continued sports betting expansion in 10 or more additional states. 

The playbook documents that the 2021 Michigan online gaming launch produced the cleanest case study in the category: operators with pre-existing earned media presence in the state achieved faster initial user acquisition than operators that relied solely on advertising at market open — and the pattern held across operator scale. 

The playbook also re-anchors the September 26, 2024 SEC enforcement action against DraftKings as the defining Regulation FD case for the gaming industry. DraftKings paid a $200,000 civil penalty after its outside public relations firm posted material nonpublic information on the personal X and LinkedIn accounts of the company’s CEO, one week before Q2 2023 earnings. Neither account had been designated as a Regulation FD-compliant disclosure channel. The enforcement order extended responsibility to PR firms acting on behalf of the issuer. 

“The U.S. gambling industry has spent five years and billions of dollars buying awareness. What it has not bought, and cannot buy with the same allocation, is credibility,” said Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman of 5W. “The operators that win the next 24 months of state legalization will not be the ones with the biggest television budget at launch. They will be the ones who built earned media presence, regulatory standing, and responsible gambling credibility in the 18 months before the market opened. AI search is now the gatekeeper for how regulators, investors, journalists, and consumers form a view of every public gaming operator on Earth. The brands that treat that as the central communications shift of the decade will own the next five years of this industry.” 

The playbook prescribes a seven-step 90-day plan covering earned media footprint mapping against the state pipeline, marketing mix rebalancing, Reg FD workflow design, responsible gambling content programs, creator and athlete partnership restructuring, AI visibility audits across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini, and brand credibility measurement frameworks. 

The full playbook is free, ungated, and available at 5wpr.com/research/gaming-gambling-earned-media-playbook-2026. 

About 5W 

5W is the AI Communications Firm — building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research.

Founded in 2002, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O’Dwyer’s, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday’s WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO.

Learn more at 5wpr.com

Media Contact
Chris Bergin
cbergin@5wpr.com

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SOURCE 5W Public Relations

Experienced financial services professional to expand advisor partnerships in Houston through FuturePlan’s independent, client-focused approach

DRESHER, Pa., June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FuturePlan by Ascensus, a leading retirement solutions partner dedicated to helping advisors, recordkeepers, and plan sponsors deliver better outcomes for savers, today announced the appointment of Scott Dozier as Vice President, Sales Consultant. Dozier will support advisors, business owners, and partners across the Houston, Texas market, further strengthening FuturePlan’s presence in a key growth region.

With more than 14 years of experience in the financial services industry, Dozier brings a strong track record of collaborating with financial advisors, recordkeeping partners, and business owners to develop strategic retirement plan solutions. Dozier holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from the University of Houston and will play a key role in expanding FuturePlan’s advisor relationships throughout Texas.

“Scott brings a strong understanding of how to connect plan design with the evolving needs of advisors and business owners,” said Kasey Price, President of FuturePlan. “His ability to build meaningful partnerships and deliver practical, results-oriented solutions reflects the way we approach the market, especially in the Greater Houston and Louisiana markets. At FuturePlan, our structure allows us to operate with independence and clarity—giving advisors confidence that recommendations are grounded in expertise, not constraints. Scott’s addition further strengthens our ability to support advisors with flexible, thoughtfully designed retirement strategies that drive better outcomes.”

FuturePlan combines the strength and resources of Ascensus with a distinct operating model that preserves its independence. This structure allows FuturePlan to provide objective, flexible plan design and consulting services centered entirely on the needs of advisors and their clients.

Dozier’s appointment underscores FuturePlan’s continued investment in experienced talent and its commitment to delivering personalized, independent retirement plan solutions across all markets.

About FuturePlan by Ascensus

FuturePlan is a leading retirement solutions partner delivering plan design, administration, and compliance services that help employers, advisors, and participants achieve better retirement outcomes.

Backed by Ascensus, the engine at the center of America’s savings ecosystem, FuturePlan brings more than 45 years of experience in retirement plan service and administration. The company supports more than 33,800 plan sponsors, represents more than $101 billion in assets under administration, and is powered by more than 1,500 skilled team members, including one of the industry’s largest in-house ERISA teams.

We partner closely with financial advisors, recordkeepers, and payroll providers to deliver tailored retirement plan solutions across plan design, cash balance and defined benefit services, 3(16) fiduciary support, non-qualified plans, MEPs/PEPs, and solo plans.

Our unique approach to plan management makes us a true category-of-one provider—by being your trusted partner delivering tailored outcomes with an ease of experience. For more information, visit futureplan.com.

About Ascensus
Ascensus is the engine at the center of America’s savings ecosystem. The company makes saving easier by bringing together intuitive technology, AI, and high-touch service that supports better financial outcomes for savers, small- to mid-sized businesses, state governments, and leading corporations and financial institutions. Ascensus offers comprehensive qualified and nonqualified retirement plan solutions, third-party retirement plan administration, 529 education and ABLE savings program administration, corporate- and bank-owned life insurance solutions, as well as fiduciary and total rewards services. The company supports over 16 million savers, oversees $913+ billion dollars in assets under administration, and employs more than 5,000 associates as of March 31, 2026. For more information, visit ascensus.com.

CONTACT:
Greg Winter
SVP Corporate Communications
Gregory.Winter@ascensus.com

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SOURCE FuturePlan by Ascensus