Innovative and creative approaches to help your company stand out while improving workers' financial well-being
A "fresh start" is a moment that feels like a new beginning. Therefore, it acts as a catalyst for positive change that motivates individuals to pursue long-term goals and make future-focused choices.1 Easy examples of fresh starts include: New Years, Birthdays, or the first day of fall.
It's critical for employers to find effective ways of encouraging employees to save more for retirement. This is especially true because employees are in charge of deciding how much to save; but unfortunately, they often don't set aside enough to reach their goals.
As such, fresh start framing can serve as a nudge to employees to increase their savings meaningfully. This is significant because prior research indicates that simple nudges, such as suggesting how much to save, can motivate workers to contribute to their retirement accounts at work.2
The fresh start research has found that in the eight months following notifications offering employees an opportunity to increase their deferrals, retirement plan contributions improved.3 In light of these findings, using fresh start framing is a powerful strategy to use in your participant communications that may be an effective way to increase 401(k) deferrals.
As employers continue to navigate the new normal, they are turning to financial wellness initiatives to address employees' financial stress and retirement preparedness. Beyond improving retention and hiring, employers are committed to moving the needle on employee behaviors, including increasing worker satisfaction and productivity, reducing money-related stress, and improving the use of retirement plan benefits.
Recent research has found that financial wellness webinars are effective in helping to accomplish these goals, particularly in increasing 401(k) savings rates. Depending upon the age and contribution level, deferrals rose an estimated $649 to $988 after participants attended a financial wellness webinar on any topic. In addition, attending a budgeting webinar was positively correlated with increased 401(k) contributions.4
Click here to access LoVasco’s Financial Wellness resources available to our clients’ employees.
Automatic plan design features have long been praised for their effectiveness in increasing 401(k) plan participation and savings rates. The two most popular auto features include:
Over the next two years, 28% of plan sponsors are considering enhancing their automatic deferral features, while 23% are considering changes to a plan contribution feature.5
Nearly a quarter (22%) of plan sponsors are considering adopting changes to auto-escalation features, while 18% are contemplating enhancements to auto-enrollment.6
These findings demonstrate that employers continue to seek ways to support employees' retirement savings and are committed to fostering an improved sense of financial well-being in their workforce.7
If you are looking to improve financial well-being, plan participation, and savings rates for your employees, it may be time to consider leveraging auto features and financial wellness resources. But you don't have to do it alone. Contact us to learn more about how to use these three fresh ideas to improve retirement readiness at your organization.
1Benartzi, Shlomo, et al. “Using Fresh Starts to Nudge Increased Retirement Savings.” Jun. 2021.
3Benartzi, Shlomo, et al. “Using Fresh Starts to Nudge Increased Retirement Savings.” Jun. 2021.
5WTW. “2022: The Next Evolution of DC Plans Survey.” Feb. 2022.
6WTW. “2022: The Next Evolution of DC Plans Survey.” Feb. 2022.
7WTW. “2022: The Next Evolution of DC Plans Survey.” Feb. 2022.
This article is for educational purposes only. The tax and legal references attached herein are designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered and are provided with the understanding that LoVasco Consulting Group is not engaged in rendering tax or legal services. If tax or legal advice is required, you should consult your accountant or attorney. LoVasco Consulting Group does not replace those advisors.
Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through M Holdings Securities, Inc., a registered broker dealer and Investment Advisor, member FINRA / SIPC. LoVasco Consulting Group is independently owned and operated.
Return to Insights Page
LoVasco Consulting Group and their agents are presently licensed to sell traditional life insurance in Michigan as a resident producer and numerous other states as a nonresident producer. This site is not intended as an offer to sell securities, which may be done only after proper delivery of a prospectus and a client suitability review. Proper state registration is mandatory prior to conducting business in any state. Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through M Holdings Securities, Inc., a registered broker dealer and Investment Advisor, member FINRA / SIPC. Check the background of this Firm and/or investment professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck. LoVasco Consulting Group is owned and operated independently from M Holdings Securities, Inc. LoVasco Consulting Group is a member of M Financial Group. Please click here for further details regarding this relationship.