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What Does a Discretionary Trustee Actually Do That a 3(38) Doesn't?
A 3(38) investment manager covers two of a 401(k) plan's six fiduciary responsibilities. A discretionary trustee can take all six. This post maps each role against the full list.
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What Separates the Best 401(k) Plans From the Rest?
What separates the best 401(k) plans from the rest comes down to three decisions a sponsor controls: automatic plan design, costs someone actually checked, and money that stays in the plan.
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How Do You Find the Right Employee Benefits Consultant for Your Company?
The right employee benefits consultant earns the job all year, not just at renewal, and this guide covers what a good firm actually does, the questions that reveal how they operate, and how to grade the one you already have.
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Trump Accounts: A Plain-Language Guide for Employers and the Questions Your Employees Will Ask
Trump Accounts opened July 4, 2026, and employee questions are already reaching HR. Here is what these new child accounts are, where the idea came from, and why they matter to anyone who sponsors a retirement plan.
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How Often Should You Review Your 401(k) Lineup?
A 401(k) investment lineup works best on two cadences: a quarterly check that your funds still meet your criteria, and a deeper annual review of whether those criteria still make sense.
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Washington Saves or a 401(k)? A Washington Employer's 2027 Guide
Washington's retirement mandate starts July 1, 2027. Here's how the state auto-IRA compares to a 401(k), and how to choose.
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What Happens If a Retirement Plan Committee Doesn’t Meet or Document Decisions?
If a retirement plan committee does not meet regularly or document its decisions, it can be difficult to prove that fiduciary oversight actually occurred during a Department of Labor inquiry or audit.
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What Should a 401(k) Committee Review Each Quarter?
Most 401(k) committees meet every quarter and assume that's enough. The strongest committees review the same four things each time: investments, service providers, compliance, and follow-through.
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Can Plan Sponsors Be Held Personally Responsible for 401(k) Plan Mistakes?
Personal fiduciary liability is one of the least understood parts of serving on a retirement plan committee, and one of the most important.
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What Are the Real Risks of Self-Funding a Health Plan?
Self-funding can reduce health plan costs, but it also shifts claims risk, stop-loss considerations, administrative oversight, and compliance responsibilities directly to the employer
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What Does an Investment Advisor Actually Do for a Retirement Plan Beyond Picking Funds?
Fund selection gets the attention, but ongoing oversight, monitoring, and fiduciary support are often where an investment advisor provides the most value.
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5 Benefit Administration Gaps that Create HR Problems, and How to Fix Them
Many of the most costly benefits administration problems begin as small gaps between HR, payroll, and carrier records that go unnoticed until an employee issue arises.
