BCG Blog

2024 was full of dramatic moments. Given that, it might be easy to have missed some of the key details and trends in the less dramatic world of employee benefit plans. We thought a review of trends and regulations could be helpful for those whose attention may have been drawn to elsewhere.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s tempting to say that the key themes of 2024 for the investment profession were the same as for years past. You might even ask yourself, is it worth it to do a year in review? We think so.

Trendspotting in alternative investing include generational preferences as well as a close look at the traditional alternative asset classes. And oh, don’t overlook bonds.

Bernie Madoff may have faded from memory but that doesn't mean prospective clients aren't worried about what they hear on the news. Advisors may want to consider how to respond to these hits to the industry's reputation when planning marketing strategies.

Some analysts are making predictions for how the Trump Administration may impact retirement planning based on changes in personnel, others are focused on the changed regulatory structure. But one thing is for certain: the market may be volatile once again.

Here we are – the end of the year and the holiday season. Right now, employees face the challenge of budgeting for all the expenses that come with this time of year: food, travel, gifts, and more. Bad budgeting can lead to high credit card debt, hurting their ability to reach other goals, like saving for retirement. Employers can help employees budget this holiday season – here’s how.

Employees’ interest in savings accounts may be as high as the rates offered on those accounts. But regulations are still slightly less than salient when it comes to how sponsors enroll and incentivize employees to enroll in savings accounts.

A growing number of younger people are looking for “microretirements” as part of their career paths. What is a microretirement, and how can employees and employers work together to benefit each other with this growing trend?

The SEC may be making news lately for its crackdown on cryptocurrency, but the real story may be how its agenda has been changing concerning enforcement actions. Here are a few things financial advisors should consider.

Income variability, market volatility, and continuing international conflict have led clients to increasingly think of including several generations in one financial plan. Here’s what to know about creating family financial plans.

Market costs have been putting many small financial firm owners in a bind. They may find themselves between the rock of needing to increase warm leads and the hard place of reducing costs. There is an answer, and it may be to borrow a popular trick from household management: meal prepping.

This summer FINRA released its industry snapshot for 2024. This report provides a solid overview of changes in the industry over the last year. Financial advisors may want to keep an eye on any trends such as an industry consolidation towards firms with more experience and growth of registered agents in the South and Southeast.

As Quarter Four draws near for many investors, clients may be thinking of preparing for their year-end discussions on tax preparations. But advisors may want to take time to talk with them about the potential for tax changes that 2025 could bring.

The Supreme Court’s summer term in 2024 may be one of the most memorable in decades. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to look away. Three cases set for argument in October of 2024 could have impacts for financial advisors and investment professionals. Here’s what you need to know.

Open enrollment season is often synonymous with stress—for both employees and plan sponsors. With an overwhelming number of benefits options and the complex terminology surrounding them, it’s no surprise that confusion reigns. Fortunately, modern techniques, including new technologies and marketing approaches, are reshaping open enrollment to make it easier, more efficient, and engaging. Here’s what sponsors need to know.

Given the potential changes in regulatory power that could flow from the Supreme Court’s decisions in the summer of 2024, plan sponsors may be wondering if there might be changes in how the DOL enforces its regulations. But that might not be the right tree to go barking up. Instead, a key to understanding changes in enforcement actions could lay with its leadership and its budget.

Having a well-curated policy library in place, particularly in case of an emergency, is no longer just a best practice for plan sponsors—it’s essential for effective risk management. This article explores the importance of preparing a policy library, how plan sponsors can proactively secure sample policies from industry groups, and why working with legal counsel is critical to ensuring compliance and accuracy.

Plan Sponsors may want to consider addressing common misconceptions plan participants have when looking to planning educational resources. Three of the most common misconceptions in retirement planning are 1) budgeting only to prepare; 2) longevity missteps; and 3) amounts over accounts.

In today’s competitive business environment, organizations must continually evolve their employee benefits to attract and retain top talent. One powerful way to ensure that benefits packages resonate with employees is to involve them directly in the decision-making process. Here’s how.

Many Americans have access to retirement benefits through their workplace but may not know how to optimize these benefits. Sometimes, it’s helpful for plan sponsors to review the basics of just how those benefits work and what they mean. Here is a review of the news: both what gets media attention as well as new offerings by plan sponsors.

Inflation may be slowing, but for many clients the cost of a tuition for their children remains a serious concern. Advisors may want to offer proactive information for clients on these accounts. And what better way to educate clients than to rely on the 5Ws learned early on in the class room: who, what, where, why, when and how much

Clients may need their advisor to bring up the topic of family wealth management so that they have a fully informed retirement plan. Here are some of the basics clients may need to discuss with their advisors but may need help initiating a discussion.

Given the dynamic pace of change in the financial industry and to financial advisors finding new marketing products, advisors may want to stop and listen before firing up a new marketing plan involving cross-selling and collaboration. Here is a background on the topic so that advisors can spot issues to discuss with their compliance and legal counsel.

Many employers have begun offering employee wellness benefits to their student and intern workers. Yet, some elements of those wellness programs, such as financial wellness components around retirement planning, may not be available to interns. Employers that are plan sponsors may want to help their participants with retirement readiness and may encourage early active participation in a retirement plan.

Financial literacy has always been a crucial component of a secure financial future. However, each generation faces unique challenges and opportunities that shape their financial education needs. Now, as Generation Z enters the workforce, plan sponsors must recognize that financial literacy is changing yet again.

New recommendations from the federal government call for wider use of dashboards for retirement plan participants. But plan sponsors know that not all dashboards are created equal. Following tips on user experience from other industries can help sponsors craft dashboards that help participants be better prepared for their investment planning.

The merits of alternative investments for many investors as appropriate vehicles for diversification can be reduced when decisions are motivated by emotional investing. While advisors are familiar with this dangerous dynamic duo, new approaches suggest that the risky mix of emotional investing and alternative investments may be harmonized by something as simple as education.

The gap between new, more lenient regulations on who can qualify as an employer under ERISA and providing those plans might be filled by financial advisors if advisors can understand how to market their services to those groups. To understand how to cross this gap, advisors may want to understand the history of the rule change, how associations make decisions, and how to market to them.

Recent Supreme Court cases restricting the powers of regulatory agencies like the DOL and SEC cases may have injected an enormous punch of uncertainty into most financial advisor’s plans. It could be the ultimate unknown unknown. But fear not, advisors may have a friend in flexibility.

A handful of federal cases ruling in favor of plan sponsors on recordkeeping fees may provide important details on effective benchmarking. Sponsors may note that merely comparing fees between plans was not deemed a sufficient basis of comparison. Instead, comparator plans (for benchmarking) should include all services requested.

Plan sponsors play a critical role in helping employees secure their financial future. While retirement plans are often at the forefront of this effort, it's also important to consider other financial tools that can support employees' broader financial well-being. One such tool is the 529 plan, designed specifically for education savings.

REAL ID is making it really hard to open new accounts. The change in identity verification requirements may only impact not yet enrolled plan participants. Yet, for participants who may be opening multiple accounts (such as those who’ve moved or younger participants) the increase in requirements could deter their interest in enrolling in benefits.

In the race to keep up with AI advancements, it seems like financial advisors just got a power boost. In early June of 2024, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation reported new research suggesting consumer trust favored financial professionals more than AI in terms of financial information.

Over the years, we’ve weighed the pros and cons of various social media platforms on financial literacy. Sometimes, preference for social media runs along generational lines. Lately, two trends may have combined to create an important issue for financial advisors: a reduction in attention span and the rise in so called “Finfluencer” may mean clients are relying on TikTok for financial education.

Recent research released in June of 2024 by MFS Investment Management may reflect that the scope of risk is shifting. These concerns include administrative and regulatory changes as well as continuing concerns about retirement readiness of plan participants. These concerns about managing volatility and adjusting for potential litigation risks may have financial advisors considering their current offerings of investment monitoring.

Recent enforcement actions by the Department of Labor indicate an uptick in cases against profit sharing plans. Class action settlements show that plaintiffs continue to keep a watchful eye on retirement plan fee choices. A new report indicates that activist shareholder whistleblowers may be using more than 10% of the SEC’s enforcement budget.

In 2023, the job market underwent changes as it sought to recover from pandemic-related disruptions and grappled with the aftermath of the Great Resignation. The start of 2024 has brought significant changes in how temporary workers are classified and their eligibility for benefits, driven by the SECURE Act and the DOL’s recent ruling on independent contractors.

A new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) highlights that rise in interest in private pensions. Their report makes recommendations for private, non-union based, pension plans. Given an interest by public pensions such as CalPERS in how they manage assets to hedge risks, the NIRS recommendations indicate a change towards positively viewing pensions.

A new report shows that a large percentage of employees are using AI at work, without their employer’s knowledge or approval. Unauthorized AI can create serious cybersecurity risks for those handling private financial information. Such use may also run afoul of the EBSA’s recommendations for retirement plan service providers.

A recent article highlighted on NASDAQ’s news page noted that demographic changes among retirees may create opportunities for more diversity among advisors. Yet, that report seems to not align with other, more recent studies. That may beg the question, what is the state of gender diversity in asset management and financial advising?

A recent opinion from the Supreme Court on a regulatory agency’s funding could resolve some questions over the future of regulation of the retirement planning industry. Yet, there may also be changes on the horizon through related legislation.

A new report from the Center for Retirement Research may be important for advisors who plan to pitch their fiduciary services to small firms. Released in March of 2024, the 2023 Small Business Retirement Survey assesses the beliefs of small business owners regarding retirement benefits and how those beliefs move their decisions to offer, or not, such benefits.

In recent years ESG investing has emerged as a popular choice for investors looking to align their portfolios with their values. One of the key questions advisors may hear from their clients is whether ESG funds perform as well as traditional investments and if they can be a valuable addition to a diversified investment portfolio. Here is a review of where the industry stands on this area.

The average professional worker is swamped by more than 120 emails per day. In this deluge of emails, a problem bobs along like a tiny rowboat: your marketing leads. If you feel like you need to level up your follow ups, here are a few new strategies we’ve seen from a variety of industries.

When it comes to hardship withdrawals, participants may focus more on what they hear and not what is in your plan. Plan Sponsors may want to pause and consider what participants hear versus what the new laws now permit.

Many Plan Sponsors balance their administrative concerns by approaching their various fiduciary and administrative responsibilities via checklists and project plans. Yet even these planning tools may fall short. Most of those approaches fail to address both administrative and analytical issues. A quarter by quarter approach may help create the right balance.

Over the last few years, employers took note of the role benefits played in recruiting employees. Some employers considered matching payments to student loans. But nearly half of employers have chosen not to adopt matching programs. And now several trends may show that hesitancy is warranted.

Recently, the IRS issued guidance on implementing section 348 (cash balance accounts). This guidance may hint at potential regulatory flexibility towards plan testing. Similarly, section 304 (automatic cash out of small accounts) could lead to flexibility in plan audits for small plans.

In the realm of employee benefits, change is inevitable. Sometimes, however, change comes in the form of cutbacks, which can be unsettling for employees. As a plan sponsor, effectively communicating these changes to your workforce is paramount. In today's landscape, where employees expect transparency and authenticity, navigating benefit cutbacks requires finesse and a departure from traditional corporate speak.

As corporate governance business processes become part of plan litigation, and because benefits may be an area ripe for budget trimming, management of employee benefits policies is attracting more attention. Caution is due in this area as AI systems create their own risks.

Has the agency tasked with enforcing ERISA performed on the prediction of increased enforcement action under in the Biden Administration or did it focus on new regulations instead? We compared the first year of the new administration to last year to find out.

The public is having a very heated conversation on aging and capacity, especially when it comes to holding political office. Some may even want a break from the coverage of older politicians and their foibles. But one arena that may need more discussion of longevity and aging is retirement planning.

One aspect of active listening that advisors may want to consider involves asking confirming questions. Yet, some business experts suggest avoiding the most common of those confirming questions: “Have I answered all of your questions today?” Here’s what advisors can do to think of how to adopt this phrase in their client communications.

2023 ranks among the highest for number of lawsuits against plan administrators in the last decade or so, and 2022 had nearly 100 such suits. One reason for the spike is the 2021 Supreme Court ruling in Hughes v. Northwestern. This summer, the lower court ruled on the Hughes case, and its findings further muddied the waters on recordkeeping fees.

Into the brave new world of post Secure Act 2.0 benefit administration comes new and challenging accommodation requests for things such as mental health and long COVID-related illnesses, which may create confusion over balancing and discrimination testing a plan. So, we can only imagine the dismay some benefits advisors may have over news noting an increased favorability of pensions.

Last Fall, we noted several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court that could impact the power federal agencies have to regulate and prosecute plan sponsors. Many of those cases are now working their way through the Court and may have profound impact on agencies such as FINRA, the SEC and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. They may also impact the Department of Labor and its investigative wing, the EBSA.

Two recent studies released in January of 2024 point in opposite directions: one indicates that inflation may be slowing down quieting consumer concerns, others say inflation is still top of mind for most workers. What gives? It may be where investors live. For advisors struggling with determining how to manage inflation’s impact on their clients, digging into these studies may help.

Financial advisors may feel like they are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place lately and both rock and hard place may be the doing of the Department of Labor. If you thought the proposed fiduciary rule was the only problem popping up, beware the independent contractor definition changes.

Three major supreme court opinions may be coming soon that could have significant implications for financial advisors and they may not be the ones you’ve heard about. These cases may be more significant: they may reduce the ability of agency regulators to oversee, investigate, and fine financial advisors and institutions by changing a long-held rule deferring to federal agencies in their decisions.

If you are searching for answers to this knowledge gap, don’t look to advisors. Results from a study released by the Harris Poll in August 2023 showed that advisors are twice as likely (80% to 40%) to include annuities as asset protection and diversification tools over EFTs. What’s the holdup?

Among the many takeaways from the Binance charges and the Bankman-Fried trial how charisma can impact a company’s disregard for business basics, such as an accounting department in the Bankman-Fried case. Unlike cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, you can never have too much consideration of compliance in the financial industry. Company culture can be a big player in how employees put compliance into effect.

As 2023 ends, it may be that luxury brands are showing a lapse in both profit as well as sway on consumers. For financial advisors who look to track luxury brands in their marketing and advertising approaches, this could be an important trend to track. And it isn’t all negative.

If you think inflation is last year’s news, you may be out of step with employees. COLA increases by SSA and inflation adjustments by the IRS to retirement accounts show that inflation is still running rough on employees’ savings. And now two new studies show investors are very concerned about inflation’s impact on both the date and amount of their retirement.

Employee concerns about worker strikes and military action in the middle east region may show anxiety about market volatility and retirement fund safety. Plan sponsors may want to pause and consider how they can use employee surveys to gauge the level of employee distress over volatility as well as how to address those concerns.

Employees may be chafing from feeling forced towards action in other areas of their life that seems to be morality-based or “woke.” Will that discomfort translate into unhappiness with the actions of plan sponsors to encourage retirement readiness? Sponsors may have some options for how to continue incentivizing employees to enroll in retirement plans.

Events outside of the United States have been on everyone’s hearts and minds this fall. Plan sponsors may be concerned for their own families and loved ones, and also for their plan participants who have retired overseas. Nine million Americans live abroad, according to the State Department. Those living abroad may have two concerns when it comes to their retirement funds: bank account access and email.

Benefits can be an important part of the view prospective employees have of your company and whether they want to apply. How can you make sure your benefits measure up? We have a few thoughts.

If you’ve been following financial writers on other platforms for topics to cover in employee education sessions, it’s worth your time to consider what Substack writers have to offer. And, if you recommend accounts on your employee education pages, adding other sources with in-depth information may increase your employees’ knowledge base. We’ve picked a few we enjoy.

The IRS’s new details on how it will increase its hiring shows a potential for increased scrutiny and potential audits for 401(k) plans and investors with complex wealth basis.

For a generation named for its inability to be quantified it may come as a surprise that Generation X may go down in history for having the worst numbers, at least when it comes to retirement. Generation X, those now in their 40s and 50s, account for about one-fifth of the population, a significantly smaller cohort than other generations and yet their worries are weightier than others.

For many professionals, the end of the year means nailing down the details of key business plans, like your marketing and communications plans. That is why we’ve scheduled this series on how to construct and format your communications calendar to right when you may need it.

These days, artificial Intelligence is top of mind for almost any professional. Financial advisors are no exception. They have often had to justify how their work can’t be replaced by that of a robot. First, were robo-indexes. Then the algorithms. And now, artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT. But good news humans! AI makes for a terrible financial advisor. Here’s what you should know.

Communications plans can seem overwhelming but when they are done well, they help you measure and monitor important details, increasing prospect pools and warming up your leads. Here are a few things to think about when building a communications plan for your marketing efforts.

Financial advisors deal in confidence all day long. Whether it’s measuring the value at risk of an investment portfolio or helping a client assess their risk tolerance, confidence is a huge part of what advisors do. But when it comes to clients, you may be getting punked. New research shows that one in five Americans thinks they’ll never be able to retire. What accounts for the insecurity?

As Quarter 4 draws near, Plan Sponsors may be wondering how they can help employees capture the end of the year energy to plan for retirement. One of our new favorite ways is to combine a well-known method with a newer system: track and stack. Tracking habits and progress towards goals is a method known to help motivate employees towards goals. But habit stacking is a new method that is stirring up a lot of interest for its impact.

Some changes to IRAs in the Secure Act 2.0 may have brought employees to think about how they may want to incorporate IRAs into their retirement savings plan. Towards that end, Plan Sponsors may want to offer employees a few key details on why IRAs can benefit their savings.

A handful of cases slated to be heard by the Supreme Court this Fall could be important for Plan Sponsors. Here’s what to know.

On an individual level, communication overload can be a serious problem in terms of employee productivity and job satisfaction. On an enterprise level, communication can have serious compliance repercussions. Generic tips for using to-do lists and AI to sort your inbox don’t fully address the problem and its impact on decision-making.

Recent studies may challenge assumptions on retirement planning, for clients and advisors. Taken together, the studies show a compelling conclusion that using a financial planner greatly increases the chances of succeeding saving sufficiently for retirement. Read on for three takeaways.

If the launch of a new platform rattles your marketing department, it may be because your firm’s communications plan is based too much on responding and less on a clear executable strategy. Through a series of articles, we make it easy to streamline your communications and content creation so that you can capture more leads and have a smoother pipeline of prospective clients.

As an update to our June 2023 article on auto-enrolling employees in emergency savings accounts, we thought it might be worthwhile to highlight that the DOL is specifically requesting comment on the reporting requirements concerning Emergency Savings Accounts and detail the two questions on which the DOL seeks comment.

Credit card debt competes with saving, for retirement or emergencies, on the spreadsheet cells of your employees’ budget. This war of intentions is particularly noticeable in younger generations, like GenZ, those just entering the workforce. Here’s a review of how credit card debt impacts retirement saving.

New research shows that over half of all plan participants can’t pass a basic retirement education quiz. But where to start? Here are a few suggestions of where to begin with a plan participant education program.

Deliberating over de minimis incentives to boost participation in 401(k) and 403(b) plans? We discuss the details of the new provision in this article about Section 113 of the Secure 2.0 Act.

A perfect storm occurs rarely, when two or more meteorological events come together to create disastrous effects much more so than if the two events had happened individually. The impact of student loans coming due at the same time as a significant amount of bad debt written off by credit card companies may just be one of those rare, disastrous situations.

It’s not an epiphany that employee benefits are a significant tool in recruiting and retaining employees. How can you be sure you’ve got the right end game in sight? Before you go singing “it’s me, Hi, I’m the problem,” you may want to consider two basics of leadership communications.

Your content may be perfect, but if it isn’t organized to flow well with how readers consume information, it might as well be a smoke signal. Here’s how improving scannability can help financial advisors win more warm leads.

If your tech budget is a tad limited, making your tech dollars work means focusing on getting the most for your money. Haphazard upgrading can lead to deficits in how your technology integrates as an enterprise. To avoid tech debt, you may want to consider these new products.

All eyes may be on clarifying the Secure Act 2.0, but other legislative changes could keep advisors on their toes. Especially if the Supreme Court challenges administrative agency authority. Here’s what to consider.

Plan sponsors are increasingly offering financial literacy programs for their participants, including educating participants on their rights and the roles of consumer agencies. A new effort by the CFPB may cause confusion among participants seeking consumer loans. The history and impact of predatory lending may predict positive and negative impacts of the new policy.

Best practice documents can be helpful in insulating assets from risk and, since they can be used as benchmarks, limiting liability. Yet, keeping up with changes to best practices can be daunting. If your plan administrator and HR department are thinking of updating their best practices library and worry about the resources needed, you may have a secret weapon in this process: career development.

The balancing act most plan sponsors engage in to expand benefits, minimize costs, and remain within regulatory rules can feel like walking a tightrope. Over the last year, we’ve been looking at aspects of auto-enrolling employees in programs. Here, we look at the concerns around compliance.

In the tsunami of information and misinformation about FinTech and digital assets some information may get missed. Here are five topics worth paying attention to: 1) the SEC v. Coinbase case and defining securities to include digital assets; 2) the UCC and Blockchain; 3) open banking extensions; 4) AI for loan processing; and 5) AI for cybersecurity.

The Center for Retirement Research’s new report presents quite a fascinating find: 40% of American households are either too worried or aren’t worried enough about whether they are on track for retirement. And the shocking part is, those with higher incomes may be falling into the “not worried enough category."

The passage of the Secure 2.0 Act had major changes on many American’s retirement planning options. The process was complex, drawn out and not without its problems. Six months after it was made into law, analysts and lawmakers have noted a few key holes in the legislation.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that employees are also continuing to quit in 2023 at a rate similar to 2022. Some employers turning to long term temporary employees to fill these gaps may be wondering if they can roll those into systems set up for seasonal workers in terms of benefits. Plan sponsors should exercise caution in that area. Here’s why.

Substack subscriptions are booming. What can plan sponsors learn about how Substack’s formatting helps readers stick with long form pieces?

Right now, administrative agency authority is a source of tension. Rulings on one agency may signal limits on others that regulate plans and plan sponsors. Arguments about the DOL’s ESG rule aren’t the only ones being made about agencies’ plan sponsors should watch. Here’s a round up of some potential cases.

Recently we noticed an absence of activity regarding financial coaching regulations and standards. What’s surprising about the lack of regulation on financial coaching is that the field has been growing significantly. Financial advisors may want to pay attention to this trend as their clients may benefit from coaching but due to lack of standards, coaches may be overstepping the goal line.

Can you, or can’t you? The state of the regulations on ESG for ERISA-related and public fund fiduciaries is anything but clear. Here’s a roundup of the current activity.