ParticipantOS turns the plan's payroll feed into engagement
Freedom Fiduciaries' new system reacts to hires and contribution changes as they happen, giving advisors a personal touch at scale without the campaign calendar.
August 24
The Plans & Sponsors Desk 5 stories this week · 61 total
401(k) balances rebound at Principal as Roth adoption climbs
Principal's recordkeeping data shows balances recovering and Roth taking hold. The behavior behind the rebound argues for automatic features.
Smallest employers are adopting retirement plans fastest, Gusto data show
Gusto's payroll data show the smallest firms adding plans fastest. Auto-IRA mandates and hourly-worker access are reshaping the small-plan market.
SpaceX's record listing shows up in institutional portfolios
Pensions & Investments reports official filings show the largest IPO in history landed in institutional equity portfolios.
HSA balances hit a record. Most accountholders still hold cash.
EBRI finds average HSA balances at an all-time high, but just 18% of accountholders invest beyond cash.
Average HSA balance hits record $5,532, and most is still cash
Only 18% of accountholders invest outside cash, so the triple tax advantage goes mostly untouched.
PSCA names three CPSPs as 2026 award winners
The honorees used their credential training to make concrete plan changes, from employer matches to a 3% participation gain.
PGIM taps retirement veteran Yaqub Ahmed for DC Solutions
A 30-year retirement-industry veteran now leads PGIM's defined contribution strategy as the firm eyes private markets access.
Principal survey: AI adoption and delayed retirement
Employer confidence is recovering, but most still see workers postponing retirement.
Zero-fee IRAs can still cost savers $1,400 a year
PensionBee's white paper sizes the revenue streams hiding inside fee-free IRA accounts.
PGIM hires Franklin Templeton veteran to run DC solutions
Yaqub Ahmed will lead PGIM's defined contribution push across wealth and international channels as the $1.5 trillion manager competes for plan menu spots without a recordkeeping arm.
Small employers misjudge the cost and value of retirement plans, Boston College says
A new Boston College brief says small employers overestimate what a plan costs and underestimate what it does for recruitment and retention. Its proposed answer is education.
Stone Point and Genstar take equal stakes in Ascensus
The two private equity firms will split ownership of the retirement recordkeeper and fund its technology and AI push.
Small-business 401(k) adoption jumps 64% since 2019, Gusto finds
Hourly workers posted the largest access gains as SECURE incentives push plan availability to 31% of small businesses.
Employers Expect AI to Add Staff as Retirements Slip
Principal's Financial Well-Being Index shows AI adoption spreading while 69% of employers say the economy is delaying retirement.
MissionSquare moves into wealth management, putting advice beside retirement
The $73.6 billion retirement services company adds a brokerage and robo, turning the plan administrator into an advice provider.
Wellness engagement moves older savers to act on retirement planning
Most older savers who used virtual wellness took concrete planning steps, even as retirement confidence keeps slipping.
A year in a virtual wellness benefit moves older workers toward retirement readiness
Financial Finesse data shows older workers taking concrete planning steps even as confidence in retirement security falls.
Mesirow buys flexPATH's 3(38) book in second fiduciary deal
Mesirow's second fiduciary acquisition of 2026 folds flexPATH's plan-level 3(38) book into a $164 billion platform.
Most employers report workers delaying retirement as costs bite
Principal and PNC surveys show rising costs pushing plan participants to postpone retirement and ask for budgeting help.
MissionSquare expands from recordkeeping into participant wealth
The retirement recordkeeper adds a brokerage and robo-adviser for households, partnering with Apex Fintech Solutions.