Fred Barstein, Author at 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

Vanguard’s Altruist Acquisition Raises New Questions for the 401(k) Industry

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, Convergence, Digital Design, Digital Tools, Recordkeeping, Target Date Fund, Vanguard’s Altruist Acquisition

Vanguard’s $4.3 billion acquisition of Altruist raises new questions about how the company plans to position itself across the retirement and wealth management markets. Altruist...

PBM Transparency Gives Plan Sponsors Greater Control

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, DC plans, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, investment, PBM, pharmacy benefit management, Transparency

There is a growing shift in the pharmacy benefit management industry toward greater transparency. A PBM, or pharmacy benefit manager, helps employers and health plans...

Healthcare Costs Are Set to Jump Again and Retirement Savings Could Feel the Squeeze

By Fred Barstein / benefit education, DC Plan Sponsors, Economy, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Financial Stress, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, healthcare, Healthcare & other benefits, investment, Lifestyle Benefits, Retirement Plan Fees, Retirement Savings Concern, wellness assessment

Employer healthcare costs are expected to rise 8.2% in 2027, according to Marsh Inc.’s latest national survey—the fifth straight year of increases and the largest...

Why Plan Sponsors Are Taking a Closer Look at PEPs & MEPs

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Changing dynamics, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, MEPs, PEPs, Plan design, pooled employer plan, Retirement planning, Retirement Readiness

For many HR teams, retirement plan oversight is competing for attention with an already crowded list of responsibilities. That pressure is helping drive new interest...

RPA Aggregators Enter the Shakeout Phase

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Consolidation, Financial Wellness, Retirement Plan Advisor, RPA Aggregator Roundtable, RPA Aggregators, RPA Consolidation

The RPA aggregator market may be heading for a shakeout. After years of aggressive dealmaking and a “buy for scale” mindset, the next phase of...

Switching Recordkeepers Is Always an Option. That Doesn’t Mean It’s Easy.

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401k plan, Advisors and Record Keepers Collaborating, Data privacy, DC Plan Sponsors, fee transparency, Financial Wellness, Participant data, Plan Participation, Record Keepers, recordkeeping, Regs and Regulators

Anyone deep in the Apple or Android ecosystem knows the feeling. You could switch. Nothing is stopping you. But years of apps, passwords, photos, and...

Small Plans, Big Shift: Who’s Built for the Next Retirement Market?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Client connection, Communication, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee engagement, Financial Wellness, Recordkeeping, Retirement Advisor Specialist, Retirement plan management, Retirement planning, Small Balance Retirement Acccount, small business, Small business retirement plans, workplace benefits

Small businesses and gig workers are opening a new lane in workplace retirement savings, but much of the industry is still driving with an old...

Making Retirement Plan Complexity Easier to Understand

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, AI for Retirement, benefit education, benefits committee, Client connection, Communication, education, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, Fiduciary Training, Financial Wellness, Participant Retirement Outcomes Financial Visualization, payroll integration

Plan sponsors face an increasingly complex retirement plan environment, from evolving legislation and compliance requirements to fiduciary responsibilities and plan design decisions. For many, the...

Why Personalized Retirement Education Matters for Employees

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Trends, adult learning, benefit education, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee engagement, Fiduciary, Financial Literacy, Financial Wellness, Healthcare & other benefits, Plan Participation, Retirement Readiness, workplace benefits

Personalized Retirement Education For Employees

A 401(k) statement can feel like a foreign language — market jargon, fund names, percentages that seem to shift for no reason. For many employees,...

A Missing Detail in Your SPD Could Cost You More Than You Think

By Fred Barstein / AI, AI for Retirement, Changing Recordkeepers, DC Plan Sponsors, erisa, Fiduciary, SPD, Summary Plan Description

Most fiduciaries don’t think of their summary plan description as a liability risk. It’s a compliance document—something the recordkeeper drafts, maybe HR reviews, and participants...

Fred Barstein