A few years ago, this might have been classified as a common “mistake.” Again, “mistake” is in quotes because this is less an issue for certain plans (usually small firms or particular industries) than others.
Tag "plan sponsor"
Common mistakes. Non-believing 401k plan sponsors. How many of these have you seen? What have you done to address the dilemma of what to do when the client isn’t always right?
Retirees should think for themselves and what alternatives they have regarding their retirement assets. These aren’t the same as they were when they were working.
As with many things, hands-on instruction is generally the best way to achieve this, especially if you make it into an engaging workshop that’s all about the employee and the employee’s dreams, not about the plan.
There’s a fear that those rushing to promote their own PEPs are merely trying to return to the bundle service provider environment the industry evolved away from more than a decade ago. This makes due diligence all the more important.
More sophisticated plan participants who can afford to hire their own adviser. They don’t ask more from the plan. They ask for less, in hopes of gaining more control over their own destiny. For a variety of reasons, this isn’t as easy as some participants would like it to be.
Just as these changes come bearing down, so, too, does a need for greater hand holding. Pressures within the provider industry, however, appear to be reducing the number of available hands.
This doesn’t mean you shoot haphazardly for the stars when you can have the moon. After all, you’ve got to know your limitations. Seeking unreachable goals will only make your retirement seem hollow and pointless.
There’s a perverse incentive working here, however. The more aggressive a plan sponsor gets in terms of promoting “financial wellness,” the more likely that plan sponsor will accidentally cross some compliance line.
There’s not a sin in listening to radio shows sponsored by those selling gold and silver. It’s quite another thing to actually act on their “recommendation.”
