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

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. ...

Employees Feel Better About Their Finances, But Employers Are Overestimating How Much

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, benefit education, Benefits integration, Communication, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, Employer Contribution, employer match, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & other benefits, HR, investment, multi-generational workforce, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness, workplace benefits

Employee financial well-being has reached a four-year high, but employers are more optimistic about their workforce’s financial health than employees themselves. Bank of America’s 2026...

The Rope Just Came Down for ETFs and 401(k)s

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Collective Investment Trust, DC Plan Sponsors, ETFs, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, investment, Retirement Plan Advisor, SEC ruling

For decades, ETFs and 401(k) plans circled each other like dance partners kept apart by a velvet rope — plenty of chemistry, but the recordkeeping...

Recordkeepers Are Betting Big on PEPs

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, bundling, Changing Recordkeepers, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Financial Wellness, Independent TPA, Investments, PEPs, Plan design, Plan Participation, Recordkeepers & PEPs, recordkeeping, Recordkeeping, Retirement Readiness

More than 50,000 employers have now joined a pooled employer plan, and recordkeepers are racing to capitalize on the growth. A recent PlanAdviser article highlights...

The PEP Puzzle: Finding the Right Fit for Your Retirement Plan

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Documents & testing, financial wellness, PEP, PEPs, Plan design, Retirement Plan Fees, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement readiness

Pep Retirement Plan Pooloed Employer Plan

PEPs may be one of the retirement industry’s hottest topics, but don’t let the buzz fool you—just because it’s a PEP doesn’t mean it’s the...

Why Wealth and Retirement Are Converging at Work

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, benefit education, Change, collaboration, Communication, Convergence, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Retirement Committee, Retirement Plan Coverage, technology

The wealth management and retirement plan industries are becoming more connected as advisory firms, recordkeepers, and asset managers look for new ways to serve both...