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

Vanguard: Small 401(k) Plans Show Strong Savings Habits, With Room to Improve Access

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, auto enroll, auto re-enroll, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Financial Advice, Financial Wellness, Participant data, Savings Habits, Savings Rates, Small Balance Retirement Acccount, small business, Small business retirement plans, Target Date Funds

Small businesses employ nearly half of all private-sector workers and represent the vast majority of employers offering defined contribution retirement plans. New Vanguard data suggests...

Making Retirement Real: Helping Participants Budget for the Future

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Trends, benefits committee, Benefits integration, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, education, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, Financial planning, Financial Wellness, participation

Saving for retirement can feel abstract, especially when participants haven’t considered what their life after work might actually cost. Following a recent TPSU program at...

Recordkeepers Can’t Win on Products Alone Anymore

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Investments, Modernize Retirement Plans, Private Wealth & Retirement Planning, Recordkeeping, Retirement Advisory, Retirement Readiness

Nearly 11,000 Americans turn 65 every day. The industry knows how to help people save. Helping them spend is a different problem. Joshua Dietch, a...

It Starts at the Top: How Leadership Engagement Strengthens a Retirement Plan

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, Benefits integration, CEO Engagement, collaboration, DC plans, Distribution, Effects of Compound Interest, Employee engagement, Employer Contribution, Fiduciary, Financial Literacy, Financial Security, Financial Wellness, participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement Readiness

What does a well-run retirement plan actually look like from the inside? At a recent TPSU program held at the Thunderbird School of Global Management...

Employers Increasingly Address Student Loan Stress Among Younger Workers

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k News, 401k Trends, benefits committee, Client connection, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Student Loan Debt

As student loan debt continues to weigh heavily on younger generations entering the workforce, employers are increasingly recognizing the impact financial stress can have on...

TPSU Launches “TPSU for Health Plan Fiduciaries” Program

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k Trends, Changing dynamics, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, Education, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, healthcare, TPSU for Health Plan Fiduciaries

The Plan Sponsor University (TPSU) has announced the launch of TPSU for Health Plan Fiduciaries, a new educational initiative focused on the growing financial, regulatory,...

How AI and HR Technology Are Transforming Employee Access to Benefits

By Fred Barstein / AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, Communication, education, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Fiduciary, Fiduciary, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, HR, Investments-research, Payroll, Plan Conversion, Plan design, Plan Participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement Plan Participation

More and more employers are turning to AI and integrated HR technology to help employees easily access the information they need — from payroll and...

How Paycheck Transparency Drives Higher 401(k) Participation

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, accumulation, auto enroll, auto escalate, Auto Portability, benefit education, CEO Engagement, Communication, Confidence, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Emergency Savings, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Plan Participation

Many employees enrolling in a 401(k) for the first time hesitate because they’re unsure how contributions will affect their take-home pay. This uncertainty can be...

Lower Fees, Higher Stakes: Are CITs Right for Your Plan?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, CIT, Collective Investment Trust, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, erisa, fees, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Pay Transparency, Target Date Funds

Collective investment trusts have been around for decades, but for many plan sponsors, they still seem mysterious—or at least more complicated than they need to...

Falling 401(k) Fees Are Only Half the Story

By Fred Barstein / 401k Advisor, Authenticity, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Changing dynamics, Client connection, Consolidation, DOL, Economy, fee compression, fee lawsuits, fees, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Advisors, financial wellness, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Plan Advisor Due Diligence

401(k) fees are continuing to fall—and that’s a good thing. Increased competition, better pricing structures, and the rise of low-cost investment options are all helping...

Fred Barstein