401k News Archives - 401k Plan Optimization, Compliance, Investment & Partners

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...

Top 10 Products and Services Transforming the 401(k) Industry

By Fred Barstein / 401k Advisor, 401k News, Adaptability, AI for Retirement, artificial intelligence, benefit education, Digital Design, Digital Tools, financial behaviors, financial stress management, Financial Wellness

The defined contribution (DC) industry is entering a new era of transformation. Innovative products, services, and technologies are reshaping how plan sponsors, advisors, and participants...

Are Managed Accounts the Future of 401(k) Defaults?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k News, Alternative Investing, benefit education, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, Due Diligence, Fiduciary, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness, Ideal Plan, Improving Outcomes, investment comittee, Investment Managers, Investments, managed accounts, Mutual Fund Fees, Plan Conversion, Plan design, Regs and Regulators, Research, Target Date Fund, Target Date Funds

As retirement plans evolve, so do the default investment options offered to participants. Target date funds still dominate the market, but attention is shifting toward...

Six Red Flags That Signal Your 401(k) Advisor Isn’t Worth the Cost

By Fred Barstein / 401k Advisor, 401k News, 401k plan, Benchmarking Fees, Client connection, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Security, Financial Wellness, Retirement Plan Advisor, Retirement planning, Retirement Readiness, Target Date Fund

After 25 years of benchmarking retirement plans across Oklahoma, Terry Morgan, AIF, CPFA of OK 401k has seen some patterns that have become impossible to...

Why Authenticity is the New Advantage for Retirement Plan Advisors

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Adaptability, Authenticity, Change, Client connection, collaboration, Communication, Creative approach, DC Plan Sponsors, Fiduciary, Financial Advisors, Financial Wellness

Authenticity and self-awareness are becoming critical differentiators for retirement plan advisors (RPAs) in an industry that often leans heavily on technical knowledge, acronyms, and compliance...

How Good Governance Helps Plan Sponsors Meet Their ERISA Obligations

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Communication, DOL, DOL Guidance, Employee Benefits, erisa, Fiduciary, Fiduciary, financial wellness, investment policy statement, SECURE 2.0

Multimillion-dollar ERISA settlements make headlines weekly, and government audits continue to challenge fiduciary decisions in retirement plans. In light of these trends, solid governance isn’t...

Fiduciary Training Advocacy Can Help RPAs Build Stronger Client Relationships

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Plan Management, 401k News, Client connection, Communication, fee lawsuits, Fiduciary, Fiduciary Training, Financial Advisors, financial literacy, Financial Wellness, Regs and Regulators

Retirement plan sponsors who lack proper understanding of their ERISA fiduciary obligations face growing liability risks. What many employers don’t realize is that their fiduciary...

Will Banks Reclaim Their Role in the 401(k) Market?

By Fred Barstein / 401(k) Managed Accounts, 401(k) Plan Management, 401k News, 401k plan, Financial Security, financial uncertainty, financial wellness, Managed Accounts, Retirement planning, retirement security, Savings Rates, Target Date Fund

As the number of new 401(k) and 403(b) plans surges—driven by state mandates and rising demand from workers—questions are growing about who will serve this...

Rethinking Retirement Support: Time for Plan Sponsors to Step Up

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, Changing dynamics, Communication, DC Plan Sponsors, DC plans, education, Employee engagement, Employee feedback, Employee happiness, Fiduciary, Financial Advice, Financial Wellness, Plan design, Plan Participation, Retirement Committee, Retirement plan management, Retirement Plan Participation, Retirement planning, retirement security

With nearly 59 million employees lacking access to workplace retirement plans, according to a recent TIAA study, we’re facing a retirement readiness crisis that demands...

Less Is More: How Reducing 401(k) Loans Can Boost Retirement Readiness

By Fred Barstein / 401k News, DC plans, Employee Benefits, Employee training, Fiduciary, Financial Wellness, Financial Wellness, HR, Retirement Plan Loans

Improving a company’s 401(k) loan policy is a strategic way to promote both employee financial wellness and long-term retirement readiness. Allowing too many concurrent loans...

Why Authenticity is the New Advantage for Retirement Plan Advisors

Will Banks Reclaim Their Role in the 401(k) Market?

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