Staying on Top of Your 401(k) Can Pay Dividends Don’t just set it and forget it – tips for looking after your retirement money Lots of investors never bother to check on their 401(k) regularly. But you should keep a constant eye on your funds’ risk level, whether your asset allocation is out of whack and if your beneficiaries still are the ones you want. When you first start a job and join a 401(k) or another employer-sponsored retirement savings plan, you fill out a few form

Financial Planning for Seasonal Expenses The holiday season is synonymous with increased spending—gifts, travel, entertainment, and charitable giving can strain even well-managed budgets. With ongoing market volatility and policy uncertainty, intentional financial planning becomes critical for maintaining long-term goals while enjoying seasonal festivities. Set a Holiday Budget Start with a total holiday budget—the “holiday fund”—determined by what you can afford without tapp

Healthy Aging as You Approach Retirement Lower healthcare costs, fewer medications and a reduced need for LTC Aging is inevitable, but how we age is, to a significant degree, within our control. For adults between the ages of 35 and 55, contemplating the years leading up to retirement offers a unique opportunity. It's a chance to not only plan for financial security but also to invest in one's long-term health and well-being. In essence, this period provides an opening to def

Building Financial Wellness in a High-Cost Environment You can't invest your way to financial security if your financial foundation is cracked. This might be the least exciting topic in this newsletter, but it's arguably the most important. In October 2025, with the personal savings rate at just 4.4% and living costs still elevated from the 2021-2023 inflation surge, many Americans are finding that the basics—emergency funds, debt management, and cash flow stability—need atte

Six Retirement Plan Benefits You Might Not Know About When you think of the benefits of your retirement plan, tax-deferred savings and matching contributions are probably top of mind. But there’s more to your workplace retirement plan than meets the eye. Beyond the basics, retirement plans can come with a number of lesser-known advantages that can help you protect, grow, and pass on your savings more efficiently. Here are six perks you might not even realize you have. Dollar

Cybersecurity: A Top Plan Sponsor Concern According to Escalent’s 2025 Retirement Planscape study, more than half of plan sponsors rank cybersecurity as their No. 1 “plan fear,” ahead of poor investment performance (45%) and insufficient participant savings (43%). That concern is not without evidence. High profile breaches such as the recent attack on a leading recordkeeper affecting more than 1,000 participants and traced to a third-party client management cloud application,

Advisor Support is Key to Driving Confidence and Outcomes Among Younger Participants Access to an advisor tends to improve retirement confidence, according to a recent survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The Retirement Confidence Survey found that 83% of workers with advisory access feel confident about retirement readiness, compared with just 53% of those without. But is that only because those with advisors are more likely to also have accrued greater

Auto Portability: Helping Reduce 401(k) Leakage After Job Changes The Problem: Cash Out Leakage and Lost Accounts American workers now hold an average of more than 12 jobs over the course of their careers. During job changes, many end up cashing out small 401(k) balances and not rolling them into tax-qualified retirement plans. Industry studies estimate this trend may be causing an annual savings “leakage” of more than $90 billion due to taxes, penalties, and the missed growt

OMB Poised to Review Proposed Rule on Paper Statements and E-disclosures The regulatory follow-through on SECURE 2.0’s paper-statement mandate is now entering its next stage. The 2022 law includes provisions affecting how benefit statements must be delivered. In general, defined contribution (DC) plans will be required to furnish participants with at least one paper benefit statement each year, unless they affirmatively elect electronic delivery, for plan years beginning afte