401(k) Basics

Your 401(k) adviser should be your most important retirement plan partner—they’re part of the engine that runs and maintains your plan. Here’s how to find a 401(k) adviser you can trust long-term to help you and your employees achieve your retirement goals.

Find out when and how to file the Form 5500 for your small business 401(k) with these Form 5500 instructions. While some service providers will prepare, sign, and even file this annual reporting document on your behalf, you can follow this simple walkthrough to electronically file on your own.

It can be hard for employees to imagine what $100 per month can mean for their retirement, when $100 now is so much more tangible. That’s why visualizations of future savings amounts can help motivate employees to save more today. See what $100 per month looks like over 10, 20 and 30 years in this quick chart.

Payroll integration can make your 401(k) plan much easier to manage. There are several types of payroll integration that can be leveraged. This infographic shares two ways; 180 degree and 360 degree payroll and 401(k) integration.

Managing your company’s 401(k) comes with personal risks and responsibilities, called fiduciary responsibilities. In this Q&A, you’ll learn what a fiduciary is and what your liability might be, and the types of advisers you can delegate some of your risk and responsibility to. (Specifically, a 3(38) Investment Manager and a 3(21) Investment Adviser.)

A 401(k) plan can be one of the most compelling benefits for attracting and retaining valued staff—but only if your employees take advantage of it. This article looks at why it’s so important that your service provider focuses on helping encourage employee participation in the retirement plan, and some tactics you can use to increase employee engagement.

Get answers to commonly asked questions about 401(k) fiduciaries; what is a fiduciary, who is a fiduciary and more. This is a quick two-page guide to familiarize yourself with fiduciary responsibility related to running a 401(k) plan.

Understanding each 401(k) service provider’s role and responsibility is important to the success of your plan. In this overview, learn what is expected from a Plan Sponsor, Investment Adviser, TPA and Recordkeeper.

As an employer offering a retirement plan, you are helping your employees achieve a secure financial future. Your decision making will include selecting plan investments, investment options and service providers. When you make these choices, cost will be a key component. This whitepaper by the DOL will help you better understand and evaluate your plan’s fees and expenses. Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses is a document of the U.S.…

If you’re thinking of starting a 401(k) plan at your business, check out these six tips to help you choose one that helps you and your employees.

When you manage a 401(k) plan, you end up working with different types of service providers. Commonly, there are advisers, recordkeepers, and third party administrators, but what do they do and how are they different? Watch this video to learn more about the different types of partners you can work with.

401(k) plans can be a powerful tool in promoting financial security in retirement. This guide highlights some 401(k) plan advantages, your options and responsibilities as an employer, and the differences between different 401(k) plan options. 401(k) Plans for Small Businesses is a joint project of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL/EBSA) and the Internal Revenue Service.

Understanding your 401(k) plan fees is important when determining if they are necessary and reasonable. Plans may charge just one fee, or any combination of fees depending on your service providers. This outline addresses the three main types of fees common to 401(k) plans and how to look for hidden fees.

Learn how to maximize employee enrollment in your company 401(k) by following five simple but effective tips. These methods work—enrollment data shows that clients typically experience an increase in both participation and deferral rates by instituting these recommended practices.

Check out this report to see how the national results compared to yours, gain insights into common misunderstandings, and find out what you can do about it for your company’s 401(k) plan. 

What is a 401(k) loan? How are they paid back? What are the downsides to this kind of loan or the repercussions for missing payments? This information sheet answers these questions and provides general information about the details and mechanics of 401(k) loans.

Managing a company 401(k) plan comes with a lot of responsibility, called fiduciary responsibility. Here, you can find a guide explaining the law around that responsibility, what you’re liable for, what you need to do and some tips for a 401(k) plan fiduciary. Meeting your Fiduciary Responsibility is a document of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL/EBSA).

Want a deeper dive into many of the 401(k) terms and their definitions to better help you understand the sometimes confusing world of 401(k) plans? Here is an extended list of common 401(k) terms and their definitions to help 401(k) plan managers understand the more technical terminology used in the 401(k) industry. 

Your employees may ask for a hardship distribution from their 401(k). This sheet shares the 6 scenarios when a hardship distribution is possible according to the IRS. 

There are five methods for managing employee payroll information for a 401(k). Download this payroll checklist outlining the ways to transmit employee data and payroll, for each of the five payroll processing methods. Accurate and up to date 401(k) payroll data for employee contributions is essential regardless of your process so that your service providers can track eligibility, facilitate transactions, and prepare annual administration.

Take our 401(k) IQ in the Workplace 9-Question Quiz and test your 401(k) knowledge against 1,000 others who participate in their 401(k) plan. Take the quiz and get your score.

This retirement calculator is meant to provide you a snapshot of what your retirement savings might look like if you follow your current path. Use the different levers to see how tweaks to your savings strategies will impact your retirement readiness. Input your salary, the age you plan to retire, and more to visualize what your finances might look like once you retire.

There are several different types of advisers you can work with to help you with managing of your company’s 401(k) plan. It all depends on what level of service you want as well as what type of risk protection you’d like to get. Check out this quick infographic to see the range of services offered by different types of 401(k) plan advisers.