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

The Value of an Independent TPA

By Fred Barstein / Committees, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Independent TPA, investment, Plan design, TPA Landscape

Following a recent TPSU program at Bellevue College, Larry Shoemaker, Principal at Hunnex & Shoemaker, spoke with TPSU Founder and CEO Fred Barstein to discuss...

Financial Stress Is Pushing Workers to Cut Back on Benefits Contributions, Including 401(k) Savings

By Fred Barstein / Communication, Company Contributions and Vesting, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Due Diligence, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, financial stress, financial stress management, Financial therapy, financial uncertainty, Financial Wellness, funds, inflation concerns, investment, Retirement Income

More than half of U.S. employees say financial stress is affecting their work, and many are responding by reducing contributions to the very benefits designed...

Six Plan Governance Blind Spots and How to Fix Them

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, 401k Trends, Adaptability, Audit, Benchmarking & Fees (ERISA, retirement plan), Benchmarking Fees, benefits committee, Compliance, Cyber Security, DC Plan Sponsors, erisa, ERISA Advisory Council, fee lawsuits, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Advisors, investment, Legislation, participation, Plan governance

Running a retirement plan involves a lot of moving pieces—service providers, investment options, fees, compliance requirements—and it’s easy for fiduciaries to get so deep into...

The Continued Rise of CITs in the Defined Contribution Market

By Fred Barstein / CIT, Collective Investment Trust, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, investment, Investments, lawsuits, Retirement Income

Collective Investment Trusts (CITs) continue gaining momentum across the defined contribution marketplace as plan sponsors, advisors, and providers increasingly seek lower-cost investment solutions and more...

Private Credit Leaders Say It’s Time to Drop the “Semi-Liquid” Label

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Collective Investment Trust, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DOL, DOL Guidance, erisa, Fiduciary, global retirement trend, investment, Participant data, Private Credit Semi-Liquid Label, Regs and Regulators, Retirement planning

The private credit industry is doing some soul-searching—and one of the first casualties may be the term “semi-liquid.” That was a key theme at this...

Alternative Investments in 401(k)s: What the DOL’s New Safe Harbor Can—and Can’t—Do

By Fred Barstein / DOL, DOL Guidance, erisa, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, investment, lawsuits, Plan design, Retirement plan management

When President Trump’s executive order encouraging 401(k) plans to include alternative investments first dropped, it sparked strong reactions. Some advisors warned plans to stay away...

The 401(k) Revolution Is Underway

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401k Advisor, 401k Trends, Adaptability, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, benefits committee, collaboration, DC Plan Sponsors, Economy, fee transparency, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Advice, Financial Stress, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, funds, Future Self, investment, Retirement plan management, Retirement planning, retirement security

The defined contribution (DC) world—especially 401(k) and 403(b) plans—is no longer the quiet, complex corner of finance it once was. What used to be a...

The 10 Mistakes Plan Sponsors Are Still Making

By Fred Barstein / Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, benefit education, DC Plan Sponsors, education, fee transparency, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, investment, participation, retirement income

Defined contribution plans have evolved significantly, but one persistent challenge remains: many plan sponsors are still not fully equipped to manage their responsibilities. Despite overseeing...

Health and Wealth Benefits Shouldn’t Be Communicated Separately

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefit education, benefits committee, Benefits integration, collaboration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employer Contribution, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, investment

Health impacts finances. Finances impact health. It’s not a new insight, but a recent white paper from Milliman, a global actuarial and consulting firm, argues...

One-Size-Fits-All Retirement Education Doesn’t Work

By Fred Barstein / Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, Fiduciary Training, Financial Advisors, financial literacy, financial stress management, financial uncertainty, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, investment, Millennial saving, Modernize Retirement Plans, multi-generational workforce, office environment, One-on-on consulting, one-size-fits-all, Peer to peer learning

Not every employee walks into a retirement seminar with the same questions. A 24-year-old just starting their career has very different concerns than a 61-year-old...