401k plan Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

As the Lines Blur, the DC Market Race Heats Up

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, 401k Trends, Adaptability, AI, AI for Retirement, Changing dynamics, Consolidation, Convergence, DC Market Race, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, DOL Guidance, Employee Benefits, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, financial wellness, Retirement Plan Advisor, Retirement plan management, Retirement Readiness, RPA Consolidation

The defined contribution market once had fairly clear lanes. Retirement plan advisors served one part of the market, while institutional investment consultants largely stayed in...

Meeting Participants Where They Are: Making 401(k) Education Click

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k plan, adult learning, Authenticity, benefit education, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, Financial Advice, financial wellness, Retirement Readiness

For many employees, understanding a 401(k) starts with a basic question: How does this actually work? It’s a question John Poole, Director of Participant Engagement...

How Plan Sponsors Can Better Engage Employees in Their Financial Lives

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, benefit education, Benefits integration, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, education, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, financial literacy, financial stress management, Financial Wellness

Employee engagement continues to be one of the most persistent challenges facing retirement plan sponsors, particularly as employees juggle retirement savings alongside healthcare costs and...

Target-Date Funds Are the Default Choice — But They Can’t Be a Default Decision

By David Witz / 401k plan, Benchmarking & Fees (ERISA, retirement plan), Benchmarking Fees, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, DOL, education, erisa, Fiduciary, Fiduciary, Participant data, Participant Retirement Outcomes Financial Visualization, Retirement Readiness, Target Date Funds

The Investment Company Institute reports that approximately $4.9 trillion was invested in target-date strategies at year-end 2025.[1] A clear indication that Target-date funds (“TDFs”) have...

AI Can Help Run Your Plan But Fiduciaries Still Own the Mistakes

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, AI, AI for Retirement, Benefits integration, cybersecurity, erisa, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Independent TPA, managed accounts, TPA Landscape

AI is showing up in more corners of plan administration: personalized communications, claims processing, investment reviews, even committee minutes. The time savings are real. But...

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 Business Retirement Plans: Is Predictable Pricing Part of the Answer?

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, Client connection, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, employee retention, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, recruiting, retirement income, Small business retirement plans

Small business owners overwhelmingly see the value of offering a retirement plan. But keeping one affordable and sustainable as the business grows can be another...

Why Auditors Are Warming Up to Pooled Employer Plans

By Fred Barstein / 401k Advisor, 401k plan, Audit, Auditor, Benefits integration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee feedback, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Investments, Multiple Employer Plans, PEPs, pooled employer plan, Retirement Plan Participation

Retirement plan administration has never exactly been a thrill ride — but Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) are giving plan sponsors a reason to pay attention. ...