401(k) Plan Management Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

The Future of 401(k) Recordkeeping: Challenges, Opportunities, and What’s Next

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, AI for Retirement, Change, Communication, Compliance, DC plans, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Investments, Participant data, Record Keepers, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Income, SECURE 2.0, SECURE Act, Secure Act Changes

The retirement plan industry finds itself at an interesting crossroads. While recordkeepers continue to face pressure from declining fees, they are also being asked to...

The Retirement Years No One Plans For

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, accumulation, Adaptability, CEO Engagement, Communication, Compensation, Emergency Savings, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, generational gap in retirement planning, Independence planning, Medicaid, multi-generational workforce, Retirement planning, retirement security, Retirement System, social security

The retirement planning industry was built for a population that retired at 65 and died at 75. That population is gone. By 2030, every baby...

Want to Be a Millionaire? A Fresh Approach to Retirement Savings

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Adaptability, adult learning, benefit education, benefits committee, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, debt relief, Employee Survey, Employee training, evolving and adapting, financial wellness, Independence planning, innovation, Millennial saving, Millennials Delaying Milestones, Modernize Retirement Plans, multi-generational workforce, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern, Student Loan Benefits, student loan debt

One of the biggest challenges facing retirement plan sponsors today is helping younger employees connect with the idea of saving for a future that feels...

What Today’s Retirement Plan Participants Are Really Looking For

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, benefits committee, Changing dynamics, Communication, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee engagement, participation, Plan design, Plan Participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement Income, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement Readiness

For many workers, retirement still feels like a distant goal—especially when today’s financial priorities include rising costs, student loans, housing expenses, and everyday bills. Yet...

Financial Literacy Drops to 10-Year Low as Gen Z Struggles Most

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, Adaptability, AI for Retirement, Authenticity, benefit education, Changing dynamics, Communication, Confidence, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee training, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, financial literacy, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Gen X, generational gap in retirement planning, Retirement Readiness

Americans’ financial literacy has fallen to its lowest level since tracking began a decade ago, with younger workers and women showing the widest gaps—and a...

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...

How the Retirement Industry Plans to Handle the Explosion of New 401(k) Plans

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, Changing dynamics, Client connection, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Financial Wellness, PEPs, Plan Participation, Retirement Advisor Specialist, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement Readiness

The defined contribution industry is facing a major structural shift as the number of retirement plans is expected to surge from roughly 830,000 in 2025...

Six Plan Governance Blind Spots and How to Fix Them

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, 401k Trends, Adaptability, Audit, Benchmarking & Fees (ERISA, retirement plan), Benchmarking Fees, benefits committee, Compliance, Cyber Security, DC Plan Sponsors, erisa, ERISA Advisory Council, fee lawsuits, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Advisors, investment, Legislation, participation, Plan governance

Running a retirement plan involves a lot of moving pieces—service providers, investment options, fees, compliance requirements—and it’s easy for fiduciaries to get so deep into...

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,...

Private Credit Leaders Say It’s Time to Drop the “Semi-Liquid” Label

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Collective Investment Trust, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DOL, DOL Guidance, erisa, Fiduciary, global retirement trend, investment, Participant data, Private Credit Semi-Liquid Label, Regs and Regulators, Retirement planning

The private credit industry is doing some soul-searching—and one of the first casualties may be the term “semi-liquid.” That was a key theme at this...