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

Small Plans, Big Shift: Who’s Built for the Next Retirement Market?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Client connection, Communication, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee engagement, Financial Wellness, Recordkeeping, Retirement Advisor Specialist, Retirement plan management, Retirement planning, Small Balance Retirement Acccount, small business, Small business retirement plans, workplace benefits

Small businesses and gig workers are opening a new lane in workplace retirement savings, but much of the industry is still driving with an old...

Recordkeepers Can’t Win on Products Alone Anymore

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Investments, Modernize Retirement Plans, Private Wealth & Retirement Planning, Recordkeeping, Retirement Advisory, Retirement Readiness

Nearly 11,000 Americans turn 65 every day. The industry knows how to help people save. Helping them spend is a different problem. Joshua Dietch, a...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

Why the 401(k) Industry Must Adapt to Phased Retirement

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401k Trends, AI, AI for Retirement, Client connection, Communication, Digital Tools, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, participation, Recordkeeping, recordkeeping, Retirement Plan Advisor

Defined contribution plans have evolved, but the industry still isn’t fully aligned with how today’s workforce approaches retirement. As employees live longer and seek more...

BlackRock DC Report Highlights Five Trends Transforming the 401(k) Into a Personal Pension

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, 401k plan, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, participation, Recordkeeping, Retirement Committee, Retirement Income, SECURE 2.0

Saving matters, but it’s only part of the equation. The harder challenge is helping individuals turn those savings into income they can count on for...

The Illusion of 401(k)s — And What Comes Next

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Authenticity, Benchmarking & Fees (ERISA, retirement plan), Financial Wellness, Improving Outcomes, Participant data, personal financial advice, Plan design, Professional Retirement Plan Fiduciary Services, Recordkeeping, Target Date Fund, Target Date Funds

Defined contribution plans like 401(k)s and 403(b)s may appear to be fixed retirement vehicles, but in reality they are constantly shifting collections of individual accounts. ...

Finding the Middle Path Between Advisors and Record Keepers

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Benchmarking Fees, Changing Recordkeepers, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Investments, participation, Recordkeeping

Growing tension exists between retirement plan advisors and record keepers as both expand into participant financial services. As defined contribution plan economics tighten — driven...