Retirement Plans Would Fill Benefits Gap for Small Businesses

Eighty-one percent of small business employees expect to be offered a retirement savings plan, but the reality is that only 58% of small companies have one.

Employees at small businesses are more inclined to be dissatisfied with their benefits that workers at companies of all sizes, Lincoln Financial found in a survey. Thirty-five percent of employees at small businesses are dissatisfied with their benefits, outside of medical insurance, compared to 20% of workers at companies of all sizes.

Eighty-one percent of small business employees expect to be offered a retirement savings plan, but the reality is that only 58% of small companies have one. This disconnect is most striking for Millennials and members of Generation X, who believe their employer-sponsored retirement plan will be their biggest source of income in retirement. Given the uncertainty of the future of Social Security and ever-increasing longevity, the need for a retirement plan becomes even more critical.

“When potential employees are looking at companies, they clearly want a quality retirement plan,” says Tim Seifert, vice president and national sales manager for small market retirement plan services at Lincoln Financial Distributors. “Offering a comprehensive plan doesn’t have to be complicated. With just a few conversations and some simple decisions, a small business owner can set up a new plan or enhance the one they are already offering.”

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