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

The Five Qualities That Set Great Retirement Plan Advisors Apart

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k plan, benefit education, Client connection, Communication, Confidence, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, education, Employee engagement, erisa, Fiduciary, Financial Literacy, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, managed financial stress, participant education, Retirement Plan Advisor, Retirement Readiness

What makes a great retirement plan advisor? Is it investment knowledge, fiduciary expertise or something more personal? Technical expertise is important, but being a truly...

Could AI Make 401(k) Education More Personal?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, benefit education, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, education, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employer Contribution, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Retirement Happiness

What if plan sponsors could pinpoint which employees need help with their 401(k) and offer education tailored to them? After a recent TPSU program at...

11 Years of Change: What Matters Most to Retirement Plan Sponsors Today?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k plan, benefit education, benefits committee, Changing dynamics, Client connection, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee engagement, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, participant education, peer-to-peer education, Retirement readiness

A lot has changed in the retirement industry over the past decade. From investment options and financial wellness to private markets and evolving target date...

Could Voluntary Benefits Become the Next Target for ERISA Lawsuits?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, benefit education, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DOL, DOL Guidance, erisa, ERISA Advisory Council, ERISA Attorneys, ERISA Lawsuits, fee lawsuits, Fiduciary, Financial planning, Financial Wellness

Retirement plan sponsors have spent years navigating lawsuits about excessive fees and fiduciary responsibilities. Now, another category of employee benefits may be attracting plaintiffs’ attorneys’...

Breaking Language Barriers to Improve 401(k) Participation

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, benefit education, bilingual retirement education, CEO Engagement, Client connection, Communication, DC plans, Digital Tools, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, financial literacy, financial wellness, financial wellness programs, hiring, Inclusion, Mobile apps, Plan design, Spanish-language education

Breaking Language Barriers 401(k) Participation

For retirement plan education to be effective, employees need to understand the information they’re receiving. Sometimes, that starts with offering it in their own language....

What Plan Sponsors Can Learn From a Financial Advisor’s YouTube Success

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k News, 401k plan, benefit education, Changing dynamics, Communication, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, Education, Financial Advisors, financial stress management, financial wellness, participant education, participation

Who says people don’t have the attention span for long-form financial education? Kevin Lum, a certified financial planner and founder of Foundry Financial, has built...

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...

The Road to Wealth and Retirement Convergence Still Has Roadblocks

By Fred Barstein / 401k Advisor, 401k plan, adult learning, Advisors and Record Keepers Collaborating, AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, Communication, Consolidation, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Digital Tools, Employee Benefits, Financial Wellness, Retirement Readiness, Wealth Advisor

The retirement and wealth worlds are moving closer together but getting them fully connected is proving easier said than done. The opportunity is clear. As...

Making 401(k) Education Simple, Visual and Actionable

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Participant Education, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, adult learning, benefit education, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Digital Tools, Education, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, employer match, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, multi-generational workforce, Retirement Plan Fiduciary, Retirement Readiness

For participant education to work, employees first have to pay attention. And sometimes, four minutes is all you need. Following a recent TPSU program at...

Let’s Rethink the Role of 401(k) Loans in Retirement Planning

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Loans, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, benefit education, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, investment, managed accounts, Retirement Income, Retirement planning

Borrowing from a 401(k) is often treated as something participants should avoid whenever possible. Taking money out of a retirement account means less money invested...