Employee feedback Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

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...

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....

A More Engaged 401(k) Committee Starts With New Voices

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefits committee, Committees, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Plan design, Retirement Committee, Retirement Plan Committee

A retirement plan committee helps guide decisions that affect employees’ savings and financial futures. But when the same people serve year after year, discussions can...

Making Retirement Real: Helping Participants Budget for the Future

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Trends, benefits committee, Benefits integration, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, education, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, Financial planning, Financial Wellness, participation

Saving for retirement can feel abstract, especially when participants haven’t considered what their life after work might actually cost. Following a recent TPSU program at...

Meeting Participants Where They Are: Making 401(k) Education Click

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k plan, adult learning, Authenticity, benefit education, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, Financial Advice, financial wellness, Retirement Readiness

For many employees, understanding a 401(k) starts with a basic question: How does this actually work? It’s a question John Poole, Director of Participant Engagement...

When Should Participant Preferences Shape Retirement Plan Decisions?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k News, benefit education, Benefits integration, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee Survey, Employee training, employer match, erisa, Fiduciary, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Retirement plan management, Retirement Plan Participation

Participant feedback can offer valuable insight into what employees want from their retirement benefits. But translating those preferences into plan decisions requires plan sponsors and...

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. ...

Employees Feel Better About Their Finances, But Employers Are Overestimating How Much

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, benefit education, Benefits integration, Communication, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, Employer Contribution, employer match, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & other benefits, HR, investment, multi-generational workforce, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness, workplace benefits

Employee financial well-being has reached a four-year high, but employers are more optimistic about their workforce’s financial health than employees themselves. Bank of America’s 2026...

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...

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...