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

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...

How AI and HR Technology Are Transforming Employee Access to Benefits

By Fred Barstein / AI, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, Communication, education, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Fiduciary, Fiduciary, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, HR, Investments-research, Payroll, Plan Conversion, Plan design, Plan Participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement Plan Participation

More and more employers are turning to AI and integrated HR technology to help employees easily access the information they need — from payroll and...

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...

CITs in 401(k) Plans: Lower Fees, Higher Stakes

By Fred Barstein / CIT, Collective Investment Trust, DC plans, Economy, fee transparency, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Investments

The shift toward collective investment trusts (CITs) in 401(k) plans is accelerating—driven largely by the push for lower fees. But cheaper doesn’t always mean better. ...

Lifetime Income Could Cut Retirement System Costs by 20%, Global Study Finds

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, DC Plan Sponsors, Distribution, Employee Benefits, Employer Contribution, Financial Wellness, global retirement trend, Legislation, Life expectancy, Lifetime Income Options, Remove term: in-plan retirement income solutions in-plan retirement income solutions, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern, Retirement System, Savings Rates

Retirement savings have grown in many countries, but most systems still leave individuals on their own to manage the risk of outspending or outliving their...

Lower Fees, Higher Stakes: Are CITs Right for Your Plan?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, CIT, Collective Investment Trust, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, erisa, fees, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Pay Transparency, Target Date Funds

Collective investment trusts have been around for decades, but for many plan sponsors, they still seem mysterious—or at least more complicated than they need to...

Three Common 401(k) Audit Mistakes and Why Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

By Fred Barstein / 401k audit, 401k plan, Compliance, DC Plan Sponsors, erisa, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Stress, Financial Wellness, Governance, Recordkeeping, SECURE 2.0

Most 401(k) compliance mistakes don’t come from bad actors. They come from good people who don’t realize their system or thought process is missing a...

401(k) Fees Fall, But Gaps and Questions Remain

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, Benchmarking & Fees (ERISA, retirement plan), Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Benchmarking Fees, Benchmarking Funds, DC Plan Sponsors, Economy, erisa, fee compression, fee lawsuits, fees, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Investments

401(k) fees continue to trend downward across the industry, driven by increased competition, wider use of low-cost investment options, and institutional pricing. Investment-related costs have...