Driving Plan Participation Through Education Efforts

Sponsors know too well that a lot of planning and consideration goes into the design and maintenance of a retirement plan. But much of that hard work is futile without employee participation. Most employees understand the benefit of saving for retirement, and many are willing to invest funds in their employer’s program. However, they may lack basic understanding of how retirement plans work and may not be confident in selecting investment options on their own. Employees need to understand the benefits of the plan and how to use it in order to recognize its value. A robust employee education program can play a significant role in improving plan participation rates and will reinforce the value of the plan to employees.

Defined Contribution Plan Concerns for 2019

As 2018 comes to a close, plan sponsors will want to make sure they understand the current landscape in the retirement plan industry along with potential concerns they may face for the coming year. With more scrutiny over fiduciary roles, it is important to be pro-active and actionable. However, many sponsors don’t realize that there are greater responsibilities beyond setting up and maintaining the retirement plan program. We have outlined the common concerns for 2019 that plan sponsors share regarding their defined contribution plans.

Attributes of a Successful Retirement Plan Program

Retirement plans can be a great benefit for drawing and retaining employees. However, is your retirement plan deemed attractive to current and potential employees? How does it compare to other employers you consider peers? An attractive DC plan does not happen by chance – it requires thoughtful plan design. If you craft a plan prudently and with their retirement in sight, it will be beneficial to both your company and your participants. We have helped many plan sponsors with their plan design and observed the main attributes that make a successful retirement plan program.

Improving Employee Retirement Readiness

Recently, the focus of plan sponsors has shifted from reducing plan costs to ensuring plan participants’ retirement readiness and helping them set accurate retirement goals. As a result, the majority of sponsors are working to improve investment menus and change their plan design. Those, however, are only some parts of the overall picture for improving employee retirement readiness.

What retirees are the least prepared for and need the most help with are understanding how long their money will last in retirement, knowing how much they will need when they retire and preparing for the risks inherent to retirement. Here are four key aspects plan sponsors should consider to help plan participants aptly prepare for retirement.