Monthly Archives: December 2025

Bundling sounds so convenient, doesn’t it? One login, one service team, one bill. It’s the Netflix of plan administration — until the compliance season arrives and the algorithm starts buffering. Payroll companies love to sell the dream: “We can handle … Continue reading →

Every plan provider has crossed paths with one — the advisor who talks a big fiduciary game but couldn’t tell you the difference between an ADP test and a CPA firm. He’s polished, personable, and occasionally sends you client leads, … Continue reading →

Every few months, I hear a plan sponsor brag, “Our provider said the 401(k) is free!” And every time, I have to resist the urge to reply, “So is lunch—if you’re on the menu.” Let’s be clear: there’s no such … Continue reading →

We’ve all heard it: “Don’t leave free money on the table.” It’s the classic pitch to get employees to participate in their 401(k) plans. Employers proudly offer a match, expecting that phrase alone will light a financial fire under their … Continue reading →

Here’s the straight talk: smaller employers—those with under roughly $50 million in plan assets—are getting left behind when it comes to automatic enrollment in workplace retirement plans. And as long as that gap persists, too many workers will continue missing … Continue reading →

Here’s what’s happening — and what every plan sponsor, consultant, and fiduciary should take to heart. What the Facts Say IBM’s 401(k) plan is under fire. A lawsuit alleges that the plan fiduciaries retained proprietary target-date funds (TDFs) and target-risk … Continue reading →

There’s a metric that every plan provider loves to brag about: enrollment rates. Auto-enrollment has made it so easy that even the most indifferent employee ends up in the plan. Great, right? Well… not so fast. High enrollment doesn’t mean … Continue reading →

There’s a metric that every plan provider loves to brag about: enrollment rates. Auto-enrollment has made it so easy that even the most indifferent employee ends up in the plan. Great, right? Well… not so fast. High enrollment doesn’t mean … Continue reading →

If you’ve been around the 401(k) block as long as I have, you know that the most innocuous-looking sentence in a plan document—the stated matching formula—is often the one that blows up in a plan sponsor’s face. And not with … Continue reading →

In the world of retirement plans, we’re comfortable with spreadsheets, deferral limits, matching formulas, and the usual fiduciary checklists. But let me tell you: we’re entering a territory where you may not be fully in control—and that territory is powered … Continue reading →