personal financial advice Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

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. ...

The Coming Battle Over 401(k) Participant Data

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, Changing Recordkeepers, DC plans, Employee Data Protection, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, financial wellness, Investment Managers, participation, personal financial advice, Recordkeeping

The 401(k) industry is heading toward a major conflict over who can access and use participant data. Record keepers and advisors both depend on this...

Boost Employee Engagement with One-on-One Benefits Meetings

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, benefits committee, boosting 401(k) contributions, Communication, Employee engagement, Financial Wellness, personal financial advice

Boost Employee Engagement with One-on-One Benefits Meetings One-on-one meetings with employees about their benefits offer significant value by providing personalized attention that addresses individual needs...

Millennials and Gen Z Embrace AI for Retirement, Experts Urge Caution

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Adaptability, AI, AI for Retirement, Artificial Intelligence, artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, education, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Gamification Retirement Planning, Gen Z, Life expectancy, Millennials saving, personal financial advice, Retirement Happiness, virtual learning

A recent study from artificial intelligence (AI) platform Pearl reveals that nearly two-thirds of Gen Z and millennials would follow AI-generated retirement advice based on...

Financial Strain Impacts 3 in 4 U.S. Workers, New Study Reveals

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, benefits committee, Benefits integration, Compensation, debt relief, Employee Benefits, financial behaviors, financial insecurity, Financial Literacy, financial stress, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, investment, personal financial advice, Retirement Readiness

A new study reveals a concerning financial reality for American workers: nearly 75% are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to cover more than their basic...

Preparing for the 401(k) Boom: How the Industry Must Adapt

By Fred Barstein / 6th Annual RPA Broker/Dealer Roundtable, Adaptability, CEO Engagement, Changing dynamics, Changing Recordkeepers, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, Convergence, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, innovation, PEPs, personal financial advice, product quality, Professional Retirement Plan Fiduciary Services, Regs and Regulators, Retirement Advisor Specialist, Retirement Advisory, Retirement Plan Advisor, Specialization, specialized team

A surge of new 401(k) plans is on the horizon, driven by state mandates, SECURE 2.0 tax credits, and the growth of group plans like...

Words Make All the Difference in Improving Participation and Outcomes

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, acquisition, adult learning, Authenticity, benefit education, Client connection, Communication, Communication, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, Economy, education, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee training, Fiduciary, Financial Advice, Financial Advisors, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, personal financial advice, Private Wealth & Retirement Planning, Retirement Happiness, small plans

Canadian philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan is famous for coining the phrase, “The medium is the message.” His iconic observation suggested that the form...

Why Hire a Professional Fiduciary?

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, auto enroll, Benchmarking & Monitoring Fees & Partners, Benchmarking Fees, benefits committee, Client connection, Communication, Compliance, Confidence, DC Plan Sponsors, DOL, erisa, fee lawsuits, Fiduciary, Financial Advice, Financial Advisors, Financial Security, Financial Wellness, Improving Outcomes, Legislation, participation, personal financial advice, Retirement Advisor Specialist, retirement income, Retirement Plan Participation, Senior Management Engagement, Specialization, wellness assessment

Retirement plan sponsors often grapple with the decision to hire an outside fiduciary. With regulatory scrutiny increasing in intensity and fee lawsuits continuing to proliferate,...

Transamerica: For Most Workers, Retirement at Age 65 Isn’t Likely

By Fred Barstein / Behavioral Finance, benefit education, Communication, Compensation, Confidence, Economy, Emergency Savings, Employee happiness, financial behaviors, financial insecurity, financial stress management, financial uncertainty, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Health Savings Account, healthcare, Healthcare & other benefits, hiring, inflation concerns, inflation stress, personal financial advice, Recession, Retirement Happiness, Retirement Plan Testing, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern

When it comes to retirement, many middle-class workers are finding themselves in a precarious position. A significant number of American workers plans to continue working...

Gen Z Most Optimistic About Their Retirement Outlook

By Fred Barstein / Aging Workforce, Behavioral Finance, Communication, Communication, DC plans, diversity, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, Employee happiness, Employer Contribution, employer match, Fiduciary, financial behaviors, financial insecurity, financial literacy, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Future Self, generation x, Health & Wellness, Independence planning, inflation concerns, investment, Job growth, managed accounts, Millennials saving, multi-generational workforce, Partners, personal financial advice, Plan design, Plan Optimization, Plan Participation

Different generations have differing perspectives on their retirement prospects. Generation Z seems to be the most optimistic. A pair of recent BenefitsPro articles highlighted two...