Retirement Income

The Future of 401(k) Recordkeeping: Challenges, Opportunities, and What’s Next

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, AI for Retirement, Change, Communication, Compliance, DC plans, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Investments, Participant data, Record Keepers, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Income, SECURE 2.0, SECURE Act, Secure Act Changes

The retirement plan industry finds itself at an interesting crossroads. While recordkeepers continue to face pressure from declining fees, they are also being asked to...

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...

Financial Stress Is Reshaping Employee Benefits & Retirement Saving

By Fred Barstein / Adaptability, benefit education, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Investments, retirement committee, Retirement Income, Retirement plan management, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement Readiness

Financial Stress Employee Benefits Retirement Saving

More employees are feeling financially overwhelmed — and ironically, many are responding by cutting back on the very workplace benefits designed to help them long...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Middle-Class Retirement Gaps Show Where Sponsors and Advisors Can Step In

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, auto enroll, auto escalate, Auto Portability, benefit education, collaboration, Communication, DC plans, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee feedback, financial stress, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Gen X, Gen Z, Improving Outcomes, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness

The retirement outlook for America’s middle class isn’t pretty. New research from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, cited in InvestmentNews, paints a picture of...

RPA Broker/Dealer Roundtable: Convergence and Plan Growth Take Center Stage

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 6th Annual RPA Broker/Dealer Roundtable, Adaptability, Authenticity, Client connection, Communication, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness

The largest and most oversubscribed RPA Broker/Dealer Roundtable to date took place at Broadridge’s New York City offices just ahead of the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards. ...

ERISA Advisory Council: 3 Ways to Transform Plan Defaults

By Fred Barstein / DC Plan Sponsors, DOL, DOL Guidance, erisa, ERISA Advisory Council, Financial Wellness, IRA Roll overs and Roll ins, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern

The ERISA Advisory Council (EAC) has delivered a roadmap for enhancing qualified default investment alternatives (QDIAs) that could reshape how retirement plan sponsors approach retirement...