Company Contributions and Vesting Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

The CIT Takeover: What’s Driving the Shift in 401(k) Investing

By Fred Barstein / CIT, Collective Investment Trust, Company Contributions and Vesting, DC plans, Economy, erisa, ERISA Advisory Council, fee compression, Fiduciary, fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Investment Managers, Record Keepers

Collective investment trusts (CITs) are rapidly gaining market share in 401(k) plans, increasingly replacing traditional mutual funds. Over the past 5–10 years—especially in advisor-sold retirement...

When Employees Pause Retirement Savings: Time for Plan Sponsors to Get Involved

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, auto enroll, benefit education, Benefits integration, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, Compensation, Compensation, DC Plan Sponsors, Emergency Savings, Employee engagement, Employer Contribution, Fiduciary, Financial Literacy, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Investments, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern

Nearly 70% of employees are stressed about their finances and living paycheck to paycheck, according to PNC data cited in a recent Employee Benefit News...

Why Timing Matters: The Power of Vesting in Employee Retention

By Fred Barstein / Company Contributions and Vesting, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Ideal Plan, Improving Outcomes, incentivizing financial meetings, multi-generational workforce, office environment, onboarding, Plan design, Plan Participation, recruiting, Recruiting and Retaining Talent, Vesting, vesting

Why Timing Matters: The Power of Vesting in Employee Retention Vesting schedules may seem like a small detail in retirement plan design, but they can...

Navigating 401(k) Forfeitures During Layoffs

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Forfeitures, 401k News, Auto Portability, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, Compensation, education, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, employer match, financial wellness

With large-scale layoffs making headlines and more than 30 pending ERISA class action lawsuits targeting the misuse of forfeited 401(k) funds, plan sponsors need to...

New Auto Savings Features Could Help Address the Job Mobility Challenge

By Fred Barstein / 401k rollovers, Adaptability, auto enroll, auto escalate, Auto Portability, auto re-enroll, Changing dynamics, Company Contributions and Vesting, Consolidation, DC plans, Economy, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, investment, participation, Plan Participation, Regs and Regulators

The average employee changes jobs nine times throughout their career, creating a challenge for traditional 401(k) savers. A recent panel discussion hosted by the Brookings...

The Pros and Cons of Automatic Enrollment in Retirement Plans

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, 6th Annual RPA Broker/Dealer Roundtable, auto enroll, Benefits integration, CEO Engagement, Changing dynamics, Changing Recordkeepers, Client connection, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Literacy, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, HR, HR, Ideal Plan, Improving Outcomes, IRA Roll overs and Roll ins, office environment, onboarding, participation, Plan design, Plan Participation, product quality, Retirement Advisory, Retirement Readiness, specialized team

The Pros and Cons of Automatic Enrollment in Retirement Plans Automatic enrollment in 401(k) and other retirement plans has gained popularity as a tool to...

Drive Engagement in Financial Planning Meetings with Free Food

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, adult learning, benefit education, benefits committee, CEO Engagement, Client connection, Committees, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, Creative approach, DC plans, Detailed Meeting Minutes, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, Employee training, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, financial wellness, Health & Wellness, incentivizing financial meetings, Peer to peer learning, Retirement Committee

Drive Engagement in Financial Planning Meetings with Free Food If you’re an employer looking to increase participation in your financial planning meetings, consider offering free...

Valuing Employees: The Impact of Employer Matching on Retention

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, benefit education, benefits committee, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, Diversity equity inclusion, DOL, Economy, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, Employer Contribution, employer match, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, hiring, inflation concerns, office environment, onboarding, participation, Trust, vesting, War for Talent

Valuing Employees: The Impact of Employer Matching on Retention To encourage employees to stay with a company longer, it’s crucial to make them feel genuinely...

Emergency Savings Rates are Low, Retirement Anxiety is High

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Adaptability, Behavioral Finance, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, Compensation, debt relief, Economy, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee happiness, employer match, evolving and adapting, Fiduciary, financial behaviors, Financial Wellness, inflation concerns, inflation stress, Job growth, recession, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Savings Concern

Most Americans are anxious about being able to retire comfortably. It’s no wonder – few adults can barely afford a $400 emergency, let alone save...

Enhancing Recruitment & Retention With Strategic Retirement Plan Design

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, benefits committee, Client connection, Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, Compensation, Compliance, Economy, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Plan Participation, recruiting

Enhancing Recruitment & Retention With Strategic Retirement Plan Design Designing retirement plans to aid in recruitment and retention is increasingly crucial in today’s competitive job...