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

Why Many Small 401(k) Plans Still Resist Auto Features — and How Advisors Can Help

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, AI, auto enroll, auto escalate, Auto Portability, auto re-enroll, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Digital Tools, Employee feedback, fee compression, fees, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Hybrid Advisors, Investments, Retirement Advisor Specialist, retirement income, small plans

Despite growing awareness of the benefits of automatic features like auto-enrollment and auto-escalation, many smaller 401(k) and 403(b) plans still trail larger ones in adopting...

Empowering Plan Sponsors to Modernize Retirement Plans

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Tech, 401k Technology, Adaptability, AI, auto enroll, auto escalate, Auto Portability, auto re-enroll, benefit education, Benefits integration, Confidence, DC Plan Sponsors, Digital Tools, Financial Wellness, Modernize Retirement Plans

Modernizing a 401(k) plan by adopting features like automatic enrollment, auto-escalation, and financial wellness tools can feel daunting for many plan sponsors, who often fear...

Will Wealth Advisors Start Managing More 401(k) Plans?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, Client connection, Consolidation, Convergence, Convergence & Advisor M&A, DC Plan Sponsors, Digital Tools, Retirement Plan Consultants, WealthManagement.com

More 401(k) plans are being created because of state rules and tax incentives, but most wealth advisors aren’t rushing to get involved. They usually focus...

Who Should Help 401(k) Participants: Advisors or Record Keepers?

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, AI, benefit education, benefits committee, Changing Recordkeepers, collaboration, Communication, competition, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee Benefits, Financial Advice, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Private Wealth & Retirement Planning, Professional Retirement Plan Fiduciary Services, Retirement Plan Advisor

As the retirement industry shifts focus from just saving to helping people use their 401(k) money wisely, a big question has come up:Who’s best suited...

The Coming of Age for Defined Contribution Plans

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, Adaptability, AI, AI for Retirement, Changing Recordkeepers, collaboration, Collective Investment Trust, Convergence, DC plans, Digital Tools, Economy, Financial Advisors, Record Keepers, Target Date Funds

The 401(k) Industry Is Growing Up—Fast. With $12.5 trillion in assets, 100 million+ accounts, and 800,000 plans, 401(k) and 403(b) plans have officially moved from...

Key Questions 401(k) Plan Sponsors Often Overlook

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, 401k plan, AI, benefits committee, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee Benefits, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Plan design, Retirement plan management, Target Date Funds

In a recent Fiduciary News article, Christopher Carosa, CTFA spotlighted several critical questions that 401(k) plan sponsors frequently neglect to ask, even though they have...

Overcoming Challenges in 401(k) Record Keeping: John Hancock’s New Approach

By Fred Barstein / AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, automation, Changing dynamics, Digital Design, Digital Tools, Financial Advisors, Fintech Record Keepers, Overcoming Challenges, Record Keepers, Recordkeeping

There are significant challenges for 401(k) and 403(b) record keepers still relying on outdated technology, much of it built in the 1990s using mainframe coding...

Millennials and Gen Z Embrace AI for Retirement, Experts Urge Caution

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Adaptability, AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, education, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Gamification Retirement Planning, Gen Z, Life expectancy, Millennials saving, personal financial advice, Retirement Happiness, virtual learning

A recent study from artificial intelligence (AI) platform Pearl reveals that nearly two-thirds of Gen Z and millennials would follow AI-generated retirement advice based on...

The Race to the Bottom: Fee Compression’s Impact on the 401(k) System

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Adaptability, AI, Convergence, Cyber Security, fee compression, fee lawsuits, fee transparency, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, inflation concerns, Regs and Regulators

The push for lower fees in the 401(k) industry has led to substantial changes over the past 25 years, benefiting plan sponsors and participants initially,...

The Case for Professional Retirement Plan Fiduciary Services

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Adaptability, AI, Changing dynamics, Communication, Cyber Security, DC Plan Sponsors, Digital Tools, DOL, Employee engagement, evolving and adapting, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Professional Retirement Plan Fiduciary Services, Retirement Committee, Retirement Plan Fiduciary, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern, Secure Act Changes

Remember when managing a retirement plan was simpler? Ah, the good old days. Today’s retirement plan sponsors face an increasingly complex web of ERISA requirements,...