plan design

2024 Trends in Retirement Plans

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As we step into 2024, the world of retirement planning continues to evolve. It’s a great time to look ahead and understand what will guide us in improving retirement outcomes for our clients and their participants. This year, we expect to see a mix of familiar trends from the Secure Act 2.0 and new focuses on personalization and financial wellness. Also, we’re keeping an eye on how the economy will influence our strategies, especially with the upcoming election and the Federal Reserve’s actions against inflation. Here are the major themes we are working on this year:

1. Secure Act Updates

Changes continue to be implemented with the passage of the Secure Act 2.0. Some changes were delayed such as the Roth Catch-up requirement which will take place after 2025, however, there are some mandatory and optional that we are focusing on.

Long Time Part Time Employees.

Employers will now be required to allow long-time part time employees to defer into their 401k if they have worked at least 500 hours of service in each of three consecutive 12 month periods and have attained age 21. That requirement is reduced to two consecutive 12 month periods for plan years after 2025. Additionally, for plan years after December 31, 2024, 403b’s will be required to adopt these new provisions.

Matching contributions on student loan payments

Starting this year, Retirement Plans may treat certain student loan payments as plan contributions for the purpose of match contributions. This provision may mean that employees who make qualified payments on student loans can receive a match even if they were not able to contribute to their plan.

Emergency savings accounts linked to retirement plans

Starting in 2024 the Secure Act 2.0 allows for plan participants to make pre-tax payments to a linked emergency savings account up to $2500 and withdraw up to $1000 without penalty. Providing access to participants to emergency savings when they need it and still save for retirement could help alleviate the anxiety of saving in a retirement plan for lower income workers.

The Secure Act has many other provisions being implemented in 2024 as well. It is important that you discuss with your Administrator to ensure compliance.

2. Personalization

A key area of improvement in the defined contribution space is the increase in levels of personalization at the participant level. By using key demographic information already known by the plan and information received directly from plan participants, 401k and 403b providers can create personalized saving and investment plans for employees at scale. Our approach to personalization is to utilize a tiered approach depending on the level of engagement from plan participants.

Plan-level personalized reporting and engagement

Often times participants are disengaged or recordkeepers don’t have the necessary technological solutions for detailed personalized planning. When that happens, we are finding innovative ways to use readily available plan demographic data to create personalized reports. This strategy enables us to identify participants who need help, so we can proactively reach out to them.

Increased use of Managed Accounts for engaged participants

When participants are engaged and the recordkeeper has appropriate and cost-effective technology solutions, managed accounts can provide an advanced level of personalization for retirement savers. Managed accounts allow professional third-party management of a participants retirement account based on demographic data and input from engaged participants.

When utilizing managed accounts in a retirement plan it is essential to monitor the program to ensure that participants who are paying extra for the service receive additional value through personalization.

3. Focus on Financial Wellness

Technology improvements and engagement

In 2024, there’s a heightened focus on financial wellness within 401(k) and 403(b) plans. Technological solutions are playing a key role, offering sophisticated tools that provide a comprehensive view of an individual’s financial health, including retirement readiness. More providers are entering the market increasing engagement and reducing costs. These new tools are increasing engagement and helping participants create healthier relationships with their money.

Retirement Income hits the mainstream

There is a growing momentum for in-plan retirement income strategies. Plans are increasingly incorporating features that help participants transition their savings into a stable income stream for retirement, addressing concerns about outliving their resources. This shift underscores the evolving role of 401(k) plans from mere savings vehicles to comprehensive retirement planning tools.

As the retirement income market evolves, platforms and investment managers are creating innovative retirement income products at lower costs to benefit more participants.

4. Economic Disruption

The 401(k) landscape in 2024 is also navigating through economic disruptions. The influence of the Federal Presidential election is sure to be contentious and could potentially mean social and economic disruptions through the 2024 election season. 

Furthermore, the Federal Reserve’s efforts to achieve a ‘soft landing’ amidst economic uncertainty are crucial. The Fed’s monetary policies, aimed at stabilizing inflation while avoiding a recession, play a significant role in shaping the investment landscape. Participants and plan sponsors must stay vigilant, adapting their strategies to these evolving economic conditions to safeguard retirement assets.

Conclusion

The 401(k) and 403(b) landscape in 2024 presents both challenges and opportunities. Staying informed and adaptable is key to navigating this dynamic environment. Whether you’re a plan sponsor or a participant, understanding these trends is vital for making strategic decisions that secure a comfortable retirement.

401k Trends for 2022

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As we head into the fall and prepare for the 2022 plan year, here is a list of our 4 top retirement plan trends that we are implementing with our clients.

1. Inflation

Over the past several months, we have seen an increase in inflation in many sectors of the economy. While the Federal Reserve has said that the inflation we are experiencing now is temporary, there is no hiding the fact that we are near a 40 year low in interest rates.

Bonds are typically held in a portfolio with the goal to reduce volatility and provide a baseline income level in a proper asset allocation strategy. However, bond prices move in an adverse relationship to their yield. As a result, bond prices go down as yields rise, resulting in potential losses in an investor’s portfolio.

Not all Bonds have the same sensitivity to rising rates

There are many reasons why bond yields may rise, but not all bond prices will react the same to a rise in interest rates. Some bonds, such as inflation-indexed bonds, will increase their coupon rate as inflation rises, reducing pressure on the bond’s price to go down. Traditional bonds typically used in retirement plans tend to be more sensitive to rising rates, such as intermediate corporate bonds.

What you can do to help your participants

We have been adding in additional exposure to our lineups that include less traditional bond funds for some time. Funds such as inflation-protected and multi-sector bond funds may offer your participants flexibility to adapt to rising rates.

2. Taking Control of Plan Data

This year there have been several high-profile data breaches in the news. As more and more of your plan data gets placed online, Plan sponsors need to be aware of their exposure to potential data breach liability through internal systems and vendors.

In February of this year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the DOL formally state whether it is a fiduciary’s responsibility to mitigate cybersecurity risks in DC plans and establish minimum expectations for addressing cybersecurity risks in DC plans.

For its part, the DOL Addressed the second part of the request by releasing three pieces of guidance relating to best practices concerning: Hiring a Service Provider, Cybersecurity, and Online Security tips.

Plan Sponsors in their role as fiduciaries should begin to adopt cybersecurity best practices in anticipation of the DOL guidance that may make a failure to secure participant data a fiduciary breach.

Participant data may be a liability even if it is not "stolen"

We have seen a rising number of court filings and lawsuits alleging that service providers that utilize plan and participant data to sell other products are doing so in breach of fiduciary duty. In most cases, including the high-profile NYU case, the plaintiffs typically claim that recordkeepers were using their access to participant demographic data to sell lucrative financial instruments without compensating the plan for that use. To date, we have not seen any of these allegations be successful. However, not all the lawsuits in question have worked their way through the appeals process.

Plan Sponsors would be wise to take heed and start asking better questions of their service providers and their use of participant data to sell ancillary products to their participants.

3. Personalized Education and Advice

When used correctly by the plan, Participant data can be a valuable tool to identify and communicate with plan participants actions and advice independent of the services available from their recordkeeper.

Plans of all sizes utilize participant data to identify underperforming demographic cohorts to customize advice at scale in their retirement plans. Some of the programs we are seeing plan data participant data include:

  • Financial Wellness Programs
  • Financial Coaching
  • Managed Accounts/Personalized recommendations
  • Plan Health Reports

As discussed earlier, it is vital to have a formal plan whenever sharing participant data and ensuring that the data is used in the best interest of plan participants. However, as software and third-party services become more sophisticated and available, it may make sense to use participant data beyond the off-the-shelf services provided by some recordkeepers.

4. Missing and Low Balance Participants

Missing participants continues to be a topic of emphasis for IRS, DOL, and EBSA regulators. The primary duty of any fiduciary is to provide benefits to plan participants when due. Integral to that responsibility is for plan sponsors to know whom they owe benefits to and how to reach them for communicating vital Plan information.

Before 2014 the IRS had a program that you could use to forward mail to missing participants. However, since that program has terminated, there is no easy solution to finding missing participants. The DOL has issued guidance in January providing best practices for Plan Fiduciaries, including:

  • Maintaining accurate census information for the plan’s participant population
  • Implementing effective communication strategies
  • Missing participant searches
  • Documenting procedures and actions

Examples of participant searches include:

  • Checking related Plan and employer records
  • Checking with designated Plan beneficiaries
  • Using free online searches
  • Using a commercial locator service
  • USPS certified mail features
  • Death and social security searches
  • Reaching out to colleagues who worked with the person in the past.

Use force-out provision to remove low balance participants annually

One way to reduce your burden on locating missing participants is to regularly force out terminated participants with low balances while you are still in contact with them. Most plan documents have a provision that allows them to force out low-balance participants through a systematic process if their balance is below $5,000.

Most recordkeepers can automatically force out low-balance participants regularly through an automatic IRA provider and are more than happy to do that. However, we have found that few plans that come to us are taking advantage of this service. If your provider does offer this service, sign up or consider using one of the third-party providers who can provide that service free of charge.

If your provider doesn’t have a solid process for finding missing participants or forcing out low-balance participants, there are several third-party providers that we have worked with who can do a great job.

Remember to keep good documentation when forcing low-balance participants out of the plan. Often, the participant can easily miss the required notices alerting them to the forced-out distribution. As a result, the participant may be unaware that the plan transferred their account. Your responsibility is to keep a copy of any communications sent in their employee file or other safe location that can easily be referenced years into the future.

Conclusion

If you’d like to talk about any of these trends for your plan, please call us today.

 

This information is not intended as authoritative guidance or tax or legal advice.  You should consult your attorney or tax advisor for guidance on your specific situation.  In no way does advisor assure that, by using the information, plan sponsor will be in compliance with ERISA regulations. 

Customizing Plan Design

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No "One Size Fits All" Plan

Retirement plans come in all shapes and sizes: DC Plans, DB Plans, Non-Qual, 401(k), 403(b), 401(a), 457, SEP IRA, Simple IRA, Roth IRA, Cash Balance, HSA… and any other number letter combinations that you can think of. The simple truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all version of a retirement plan; and as a plan sponsor, you need to select a benefit plan that is appropriate for your company and its participants. It is important to understand the basics of plan design, work with a knowledgeable advisor, and evaluate your plan based upon your specific needs.

While designing your company’s 401k plan, six major elements must be defined: eligibility, compensation, contributions, vesting, distributions and loans.

Eligibility | Who can enter the plan and when?

Pretty simple and first on the list is addressing which employees are able to enter the plan and when they are able to do so. Depending on the demographic and culture of your workforce, you may elect certain eligibility requirements such as age, tenure, or full-time employment status. Plan sponsors may choose to grant immediate eligibility or require a waiting period before new employees are allowed to participate in the plan.

Tip: Auto-Enrollment

Compensation | What part of the paycheck?

Next, you must decide what types of compensation will be used in the plan and how they are taxed. Certain types of compensation may be excluded for plan purposes without issue; these may include: compensation earned prior to plan entry and fringe benefits, even bonus and overtime (if special annual testing is passed)[1].

 

Contributions | Who is putting money into the plan and how?

Your plan may permit both employee and employer contributions. Any employer contributions must be allocated to participant accounts pursuant to a formula in the plan document.

Contributions can be broken into 4 major groups: elective deferrals, employer matching, safe harbor and non-elective (profit sharing) contributions.  Each of these groups has its own unique formulas and feature options that can be applied to help maximize savings. It is important to remember that all money entering the plan is subject to annual limits.[2]

Vesting | When do employer contributions become employee assets?

Participants are only entitled to the vested portion of their account balance upon exiting the plan; the remaining unvested portion must be forfeited to the plan. Sponsors can choose to reallocate these forfeitures to pay plan expenses or reduce employer contributions (e.g., the funds may be used as matching contributions for other employees).

Employee contributions and most safe harbor contributions must always be 100% immediately vested. However, plan sponsors may elect a vesting schedule appropriate to specific company needs for matching and profit sharing contributions.

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of vesting schedules: graded vesting and cliff vesting. Regardless of schedule, a participant must become 100% vested when they reach “normal retirement age.”

Distributions | When can money be withdrawn?

Distribution is a fancy word the IRS and the financial industry use to discuss withdrawing money from the plan.  Generally, employees are eligible to take penalty-free distributions at age 59½, but it is not until age 70½ that the IRS requires employees to take distributions.

Often, plans will only permit a lump sum distribution when a participant separates from service and is entitled to a distribution. Under the lump sum option, a participant must take their entire vested account balance in a single distribution. Other distribution forms available include installment payments and partial payments.

You can permit a participant to take a distribution while still employed. These are called “in-service” distributions. These distributions must be available upon the attainment of a certain age (59 ½ or greater) or a “hardship” event. Eligible hardship events are defined by law.

A plan may permit the involuntary cash-out of small account balances. Balances under $1,000 may be distributed in cash to the participant. Balances under $5,000 may be involuntarily rolled into an IRA for the benefit of the participant.

Loans | Can employees borrow from their savings?

Retirement loans are popular among employees but often add administrative complexity for plan administrators. Employers may need to sign off on loan requests and deduct loan payments from payrolls. Offering retirement plan loans is not required: as a plan sponsor you have the authority to allow them or not.  

Understanding these 6 key elements can help you to customize a plan unique to your company’s specific needs. Beyond these basics you may even consider implementing advanced plan design options such as auto-features, enhanced matching formulas, or offering a cash balance plan. [We will dive into those options in an upcoming article. Be sure to connect with us on LinkedIn or visit our blog to stay informed.] 

We pride ourselves in being knowledgeable advisors and would be happy to walk through a plan design questionnaire to help develop a plan that is right for you and your employees because in the end, the whole point of your company’s plan is getting everyone successfully to retirement!

[1] Mitte, Ed. “CPE_Compensation.” IRS.gov. Summer 2013.

[2] Internal Revenue Service. “401(k) Plans: Deferrals and matching when compensation exceeds annual limit.“ 2017.

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