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

Employees Feel Better About Their Finances, But Employers Are Overestimating How Much

By Fred Barstein / 401k plan, benefit education, Benefits integration, Communication, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Employee Benefits, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Employee training, Employer Contribution, employer match, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & other benefits, HR, investment, multi-generational workforce, Retirement Income, Retirement Readiness, workplace benefits

Employee financial well-being has reached a four-year high, but employers are more optimistic about their workforce’s financial health than employees themselves. Bank of America’s 2026...

Why Retirement Advisors Are Expanding Into Wealth Management

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k Advisor, 401k News, benefit education, Communication, Consolidation, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Managed Accounts, Retirement Readiness

The lines between retirement plan consulting and wealth management continue to blur, creating new opportunities for advisors who can serve both employers and individual participants. ...

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...

Is Convergence the Future of Retirement Benefits? Empower Just Bet Big on It

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, benefit education, Client connection, Communication, Consolidation, Convergence, DC Plan Sponsors, Economy, Financial Advisors, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Health & Wellness, healthcare, hiring, Investments, managed financial stress, recordkeeping, Retirement Readiness

Empower just closed a $340 million deal to acquire Milliman’s retirement and benefits administration business — adding about 750,000 DC and 780,000 DB participants across...

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...

Help Younger Workers Start Saving Sooner

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k rollovers, accumulation, auto enroll, auto escalate, auto re-enroll, automation, Benefits integration, collaboration, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, Digital Tools, Early retirement, Education, education, Emergency Savings, Employee Benefits, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, Millennial saving, multi-generational workforce, participation, Plan design, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern, student loan, Student Loan Debt

A new class of graduates and interns is entering the workforce this summer, and many will be making retirement planning decisions for the first time. ...

Want to Be a Millionaire? A Fresh Approach to Retirement Savings

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k plan, Adaptability, adult learning, benefit education, benefits committee, Communication, Confidence, DC plans, debt relief, Employee Survey, Employee training, evolving and adapting, financial wellness, Independence planning, innovation, Millennial saving, Millennials Delaying Milestones, Modernize Retirement Plans, multi-generational workforce, Retirement Readiness, Retirement Savings Concern, Student Loan Benefits, student loan debt

One of the biggest challenges facing retirement plan sponsors today is helping younger employees connect with the idea of saving for a future that feels...

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 Literacy Drops to 10-Year Low as Gen Z Struggles Most

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, Adaptability, AI for Retirement, Authenticity, benefit education, Changing dynamics, Communication, Confidence, DC Plan Sponsors, education, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee training, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Liability, financial literacy, financial stress management, Financial Wellness, Gen X, generational gap in retirement planning, Retirement Readiness

Americans’ financial literacy has fallen to its lowest level since tracking began a decade ago, with younger workers and women showing the widest gaps—and a...