Retirement Committee Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

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...

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...

What Today’s Retirement Plan Participants Are Really Looking For

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, benefits committee, Changing dynamics, Communication, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee engagement, participation, Plan design, Plan Participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement Income, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement Readiness

For many workers, retirement still feels like a distant goal—especially when today’s financial priorities include rising costs, student loans, housing expenses, and everyday bills. Yet...

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...

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...

When “Co-opetition” Becomes Co-option: Why Advisor Independence Still Matters

By Fred Barstein / Advisor Independence, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Benchmarking Fees, Client connection, Co-opetition, Co-option, collaboration, Communication, competition, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Independence planning, Investments, Recordkeeping, Retirement Committee

The relationship between retirement plan advisors and recordkeepers has always involved some natural tension. But as both sides expand into overlapping territory, plan sponsors need...

In-Plan Retirement Income: From Exploration to Execution

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, Changing dynamics, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Ideal Plan, in-plan retirement income solutions, Insurance, IRA Roll overs and Roll ins, PEPs, Retirement Committee, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness, Target Date Funds

For years, in-plan retirement income solutions have generated plenty of interest but limited action. That’s about to change. The Institutional Retirement Income Council (IRIC) is...

The Future of Aggregators: Key Takeaways From the 2025 Roundtable

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, Aggregators, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Changing Recordkeepers, Client connection, DC plans, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Investment Managers, Plan Acquisition, Recordkeeping, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Committee, Roundtables

Aggregator Roundtable 2025: How RPAs and RIAs are Reshaping Workplace Saving and Benefits

The 2025 Aggregator Roundtable brought together leaders from major RIA and RPA aggregators to discuss how workplace retirement, wealth, and benefits are converging. With fees...

The 3(21) vs. 3(38) Debate: Why Delegation Doesn’t Mean You’re Off the Hook

By Fred Barstein / 3(16) Plan Administrator, 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, benefit education, benefits committee, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Distribution, Documents & testing, DOL, DOL Guidance, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Advisors, Financial Stress, investment, investment comittee, Retirement Committee, Retirement Plan Advisor Due Diligence

The promise sounds appealing: hire a fiduciary advisor, hand over investment decisions, and sleep better at night knowing someone else is handling the heavy lifting. ...