benefit education Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

Fiduciary Duty Doesn’t End With a Good Hire

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, benefit education, benefits committee, Benefits integration, Client connection, Confidence, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, DOL Guidance, Due Diligence, education, Employee engagement, Fiduciary

Plan sponsors are held to a fiduciary standard most never trained for — on top of the job they were actually hired to do. Understanding...

Aligning 401(k) Auto-Escalation With Employee Pay Raises

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k rollovers, Adaptability, auto enroll, auto escalate, Auto Portability, auto re-enroll, benefit education, benefits committee, Benefits integration, Client connection, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, employer match, Financial Wellness, HR

Increasing employee retirement contributions can be difficult when workers worry about reducing their take-home pay. Thoughtful plan design, however, can make higher savings rates feel...

How One Anonymous Survey Reshaped a Company’s Medical Plan

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefit education, Benefits integration, CEO Engagement, collaboration, Communication, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee Survey, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Health Savings Account, healthcare, Healthcare & other benefits, HR, Ideal Plan, Improving Outcomes, Lifestyle Benefits, participation, Retirement Happiness

An employee benefits survey gives organizations a direct line into what their workforce actually values, rather than relying on assumptions or industry benchmarks alone. It...

Is Convergence the Future of Retirement Benefits? Empower Just Bet Big on It

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefit education, Client connection, Communication, Consolidation, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Economy, Financial Advisors, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, healthcare, hiring, Investments, managed financial stress, recordkeeping, Retirement Readiness

Empower just closed a $340 million deal to acquire Milliman’s retirement and benefits administration business — adding about 750,000 DC and 780,000 DB participants across...

Employers Are Pulling Back on 401(k) Matches and Flexibility, But Should They?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, AI, AI for Retirement, benefit education, Benefits integration, CEO Engagement, Communication, DC plans, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee happiness, Employer Contribution, employer match, Fiduciary, Financial Advice, Financial Wellness, investment, remote work, Retirement planning, Senior Management Engagement, Workplace flexibility

Fewer employers are offering generous 401(k) matches and flexible work arrangements this year, according to new SHRM research—a shift that could have consequences for hiring...

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...

Helping Younger Employees Understand the Value of Their 401(k)

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefit education, benefits committee, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, employer match, Family involvement, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Gen Z, generational gap in retirement planning, investment, Millennial saving, Millennials Delaying Milestones, Peer to peer learning

For younger employees, the value of participating in a 401(k) plan is not always immediately clear—which makes effective communication especially important. At a recent TPSU...

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...

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...

Financial Stress Is Reshaping Employee Benefits & Retirement Saving

By Fred Barstein / Adaptability, benefit education, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Investments, retirement committee, Retirement Income, Retirement plan management, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement Readiness

Financial Stress Employee Benefits Retirement Saving

More employees are feeling financially overwhelmed — and ironically, many are responding by cutting back on the very workplace benefits designed to help them long...