DC plans Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

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. ...

Why Retirement Advisors Are Expanding Into Wealth Management

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k News, benefit education, Communication, Consolidation, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Managed Accounts, Retirement Readiness

The lines between retirement plan consulting and wealth management continue to blur, creating new opportunities for advisors who can serve both employers and individual participants. ...

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...

PEPs Look Attractive to Larger Employers, But Are the Tradeoffs Worth It?

By Fred Barstein / 3(38) Investment Advisers, 401(k) Plan Management, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, erisa, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Improving Outcomes, Investments, participation, PEPs, Plan design, Retirement Plan Participation

Pooled employer plans have earned their reputation as a practical solution for smaller employers. But as adoption grows, larger plan sponsors have started asking whether...

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...

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...

Why Today’s Fintech Record Keepers Are Succeeding Where Others Failed

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Trends, Adaptability, AI, AI for Retirement, Benchmarking & Fees (ERISA, retirement plan), Change, Communication, DC plans, Employee Benefits, evolving and adapting, Financial Wellness, Fintech Record Keepers, Recordkeeping, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Plan Participation

Fintech record keepers are gaining serious momentum in the retirement plan industry, raising billions in capital and serving a growing share of defined contribution plans. ...

It Starts at the Top: How Leadership Engagement Strengthens a Retirement Plan

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, Benefits integration, CEO Engagement, collaboration, DC plans, Distribution, Effects of Compound Interest, Employee engagement, Employer Contribution, Fiduciary, Financial Literacy, Financial Security, Financial Wellness, participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement Readiness

What does a well-run retirement plan actually look like from the inside? At a recent TPSU program held at the Thunderbird School of Global Management...

Why Advisors and Record Keepers Need to Stop Competing — and Start Collaborating

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, Advisors and Record Keepers Collaborating, collaboration, Communication, Communication, DC plans, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Merging Retirement Plan, Plan design, Recordkeeping, Retirement Committee, Retirement Readiness

Participants in defined contribution plans have more tools than ever — and many still don’t know if they’re on track. That gap isn’t a technology...