Employers are increasingly looking for programs and offerings to support multiple financial goals.

Employers increasingly recognize the link between promoting financial wellness and their companies’ ability to retain and recruit employees.

Employers should shift from ‘broadcasting their benefits’ to ‘creating more curated experiences,’ says Alight’s Rob Austin.

Women typically outlive men, but their financial literacy remains lower into their golden years, according to research from the Pension Research Council.

Aon’s 2025 Benefits Survey of Hospitals found health systems wants their employees to understand both the benefits available and how valuable they are.

Due to a ‘normalized’ yield curve and strong investment performance, plan sponsors can consider de-risking or using surpluses for other benefits.

Recruitment and retention benefits are often cited as the reason a company or government continues to provide a pension.

Consultants share what they see driving their clients’ defined benefit plan decisionmaking.

An effective way to turn savings into lifetime income is enabling retiring participants to roll DC assets into an existing DB plan, writes a Goldman Sachs Asset Management managing director.

2025 has been a ‘tailwind of a year for pension finances,’ says Brian Donohue of October Three.

Despite a flurry of lawsuits challenging pension risk transfers, plan sponsors remain committed to shedding defined benefit liabilities — viewing litigation risk as another manageable cost in an otherwise hot market. 

Strategies emerge to bridge the gap between savings and sustainable income.

Employers are warming up to artificial intelligence in retirement planning, but its use remains in the early stages.

Researchers are considering what kinds of changes to savings and default rates are most effective in improving retirement outcomes.

The statutory deadline has not been extended, but the rules will only be applied in 'good faith' in 2026.

The advisory opinion could lead to greater adoption of annuity products.

Many trends in the DC plan market are related to, and can sometimes be attributed to, plan sponsor size and type.

New and enhanced tax credits are driving up small plan adoption, but time is ticking.

Federal tax incentives and other state policy efforts have led to more retirement plans available for employees of small businesses.

Automation allows for price relief for modest-sized companies that have been paying more to provide retirement benefits.

According to the authors of a recently published paper, a lack of awareness—among both firms and their tax preparers—continues to limit take-up of SECURE Act tax credits.

Increasingly, smaller retirement plans are adding collective investment trusts to their investment menus.

A look at how 401(k) plans rank by participants, plans and assets to put the scope of the small plan universe in some perspective. 

Industry proponents expect the legislation would lower costs and broaden investment menus for sponsors and participants.

More than two years after passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, advisers are beginning to see the effects of key provisions on their 403(b) clients.

The products are complex for various reasons, but recent regulatory changes and potential demand are expected to continue driving plan sponsor adoption.

Bringing collective investment trusts to 403(b) participants could generate another $500 million annually in retirement wealth, a Vanguard research executive writes.

Assets in 403(b) plans total more than $1.5 trillion, representing nearly 160,000 plans and nearly 20 million participants, according to the 2025 PLANSPONSOR 403(b) Market Survey.

Uncertainty and confusion about products, plan design and longevity all present obstacles to turning retirement savings into regular income.

‘Guaranteed income’ offerings are popular with retirees because they reduce the need for a do-it-yourself approach to retirement finance.

With more recordkeepers embedding artificial intelligence capabilities into their platforms, many hope it will help participants select retirement income solutions.

Exploring factors plan sponsors can review when evaluating lifetime income options.

Two NEPC executives provide perspective and practical tips on the retirement income landscape.

With dementia cases on the rise, plan sponsors have a duty to protect assets and shelter participants from financial fraud.

Plan sponsors and recordkeepers aim to prevent both participant mistakes and fraud schemes that can decimate retirement savings.

Plan providers are using technology to authenticate participants, secure accounts, flag suspicious activity and help protect participants’ assets.

Experts from the MIT AgeLab explore the financial costs of dementia and how they manifest.

Education and tools plan sponsors can reference to help protect retirement plan assets and ensure the financial security of plan participants and beneficiaries. 

Data from the Federal Trade Commission quantifies the amount of financial fraud reported in the country, what kind of scams are prevalent and where it is occurring. 

Experts recommend retirement plans conduct fiduciary education and training sessions at least annually and any time a new member joins the plan committee.

While outsourcing advisers or consultants can help relieve plan sponsors’ administrative tasks, it does not absolve them of fiduciary responsibility.

Who are retirement plan fiduciaries and what does ERISA require them to do?

How can plan sponsors avoid prohibited actions, mitigate fiduciary exposures and correct errors?

Rick Funston, CEO of Funston Advisory Services, talks through how public plan fiduciaries can prepare for and manage an increasingly complex pension world.

Advisers and managers share the tools and messages that best allow plan sponsors to communicate the need for rebalancing and drive the process.

Many defined contribution plan sponsors have concerns about offering alternative investments in their 401(k) menu, but a supportive regulatory environment may shift the tide.

ERISA attorneys review what the law and a decade or more of case law require of plan sponsors.

Defined contribution plans are seen as the ‘final frontier’ for exchange-traded funds, but certain structural issues pose barriers for including these investments in the 401(k) menu.

A review of key influences on menu design, offering a framework for plan sponsors and industry professionals to consider as they build menus that are effective, responsive, and participant-centered, by executives from DCIIA.

While implementing SECURE 2.0 provisions effective 2025, plan sponsors prepare for a big change next year.

While catch-up contributions and cash-out thresholds have been adopted widely, take-up is more ponderous for student loan matching and emergency withdrawal flexibility.

Speakers at the livestream discussed the administrative challenges of implementing the new Roth and age 60 to 63 catch-up provisions under SECURE 2.0.

President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of labor expressed support for the Biden-era Butch Lewis Act, but also walked back her support for pro-union legislation.

Employers have options to offer student loan benefits to employees and do not need to wait for further IRS guidance to start.

Frequent plan benchmarking is a useful way to measure participants’ retirement readiness, but a deeper analysis of demographics and financial wellness is key to developing the full picture.

A review of some of the methods and mechanisms retirement plan sponsors can use to determine how their plan’s costs measure up.

A collection of data plan sponsors can use to compare their plan features and governance with peers’, for self-assessment and self-improvement.

Implementing an effective employer contribution strategy requires plan sponsors to consider timing, costs and the workforce’s specific financial needs.

Several options could aid in recruitment, retention and financial wellness.

Employers are reconsidering the most important factors in setting their workers up for savings success.

Explaining the basics of the infrastructure underpinning 401(k) retirement accounts.