Employee Benefits 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...

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...

Health and Wealth Benefits Shouldn’t Be Communicated Separately

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefit education, benefits committee, Benefits integration, collaboration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employer Contribution, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, investment

Health impacts finances. Finances impact health. It’s not a new insight, but a recent white paper from Milliman, a global actuarial and consulting firm, argues...

Why Employers Are Overlooking Student Loan Benefits (And Why It Matters)

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefits committee, Benefits integration, CEO Engagement, education, Employee Benefits, Financial Wellness, SAVI, Student Loan Benefits, Student Loan Debt

Not every employee experiences student debt in the same way. A recent graduate navigating repayment options faces a very different reality than a mid-career professional...

Could a Centralized Clearinghouse Fix 401(k) System Challenges?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Auto Portability, auto re-enroll, Compensation, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Fiduciary, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Investments, participation, Retirement Plan Advisor, Retirement planning

Defined contribution plans have come a long way, but the system still struggles with one big reality: people change jobs frequently. Over the course of...

Why HR Can’t Stop at Enrollment When It Comes to Retirement Plans

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, auto enroll, auto escalate, auto re-enroll, benefit education, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, education, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee training, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, HR, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern

For many companies, the work of managing a retirement plan feels complete once employees are enrolled. But Teresa believes that’s only the starting point. As...

Employee Champions: Turning Peer Trust Into Powerful Benefits Engagement

By Fred Barstein / benefit education, Benefits integration, collaboration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, education, Employee Benefits, employee champions, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, financial wellness, Financial Wellness, participation, Peer to peer learning, Retirement Happiness, specialized team

Have you ever heard the term employee champions? At first glance, it may sound like a buzzword, but in practice it describes a powerful internal...

Vestwell’s $385M Raise Signals a New Phase for Defined Contribution Plans

By Fred Barstein / AI, Company Contributions and Vesting, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Economy, Employee Benefits, Employer Contribution, Robo Advisor Technology, Vestwell

Vestwell’s $385 million funding round signals accelerating momentum to modernize the defined contribution market. The firm plans to acquire 27,000 Guideline plans, expand AI capabilities,...

Creativity Drives Clarity in Advisor–Plan Sponsor Relationships

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) advisor trust, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, Adaptability, Authenticity, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, financial wellness programs, Gamification Retirement Planning, Retirement Advisory

Creativity is increasingly essential in the relationship between retirement plan advisors and plan sponsors because effective communication is no longer one-size-fits-all. Advisors who can translate...

Employees Feel Fine Day to Day—but Financial Stress Is Undermining Resilience

By Fred Barstein / benefit education, benefits committee, Client connection, Communication, Convergence, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee happiness, Employee Resilience, Fiduciary, financial behaviors, financial insecurity, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, managed financial stress, Plan design, Retirement Plan Committee, wellness assessment

Tired Businesswoman In The Office With Stack Of Papers Sbi 350593568

Most employees say they’re doing pretty well on a daily basis. But dig a little deeper, and the picture changes. A new national survey from...