The Frugal Fiduciary Small Business 401(k) Blog
Get the latest industry news, deadlines and tips you need to know to help tackle your fiduciary responsibility needs.
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Three Features of a FIRE-Inspired 401(k) Plan
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By: Eric Droblyen
February 14th 2023
Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a financial movement defined by frugality. A FIRE-inspired 401(k) plan can help any worker retire years sooner.
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
SECURE 2.0 – My Top 5 401(k) Related Provisions
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By: Eric Droblyen
January 31st 2023
SECURE 2.0 makes sweeping 401(k) plan changes. My top five provisions will grow retirement savings the most. Banning hidden fees would help even more.
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Good Luck Escaping a Pooled Employer 401(k) Plan (PEP)
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By: Eric Droblyen
May 11th 2022
Employers can terminate a single-employer 401(k) at any time, but they can't terminate their portion of a Pooled Employer Plan. That can trap participants.
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
SECURE Act 2.0 – Not the 401(k) Reform Americans Deserve
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By: Eric Droblyen
April 27th 2022
SECURE 2.0 delivers welcome, but incremental, reform. 401(k) plans are not cost-efficient enough today. Here are four things Washington can do to change that.
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
Don’t Be Fooled by These 401(k) Conflicts of Interest!
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By: Eric Droblyen
April 13th 2022
The 401(k) industry is rife with conflicts of interest. Employers have a fiduciary responsibility to protect employees from them. Common ones hide in plain sight.
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
401(k) Fiduciary Takeaways from a Jerry Schlichter Interview
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By: Eric Droblyen
March 2nd 2022
Understanding the drivers of 401(k) fiduciary liability can help employers avoid it. The top drivers are well defined in a recent interview with Jerry Schlichter.
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
Employee Fiduciary Launches New 401(k) Fee Savings Calculator
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By: Eric Droblyen
October 13th 2021
Paying low 401(k) fees during your working years can mean dramatically higher savings in retirement. Our 401(k) fee calculator estimates how much higher.
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
Proposed 5500 Reform Won’t Help 401(k) Fee Benchmarking
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By: Eric Droblyen
September 29th 2021
401(k) fees can be impossible for plan fiduciaries and participants to compare apples-to-apples. Proposed Form 5500 changes will do little to help.
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
GAO Recommends Much Needed 401(k) Fee Disclosure Reform
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By: Eric Droblyen
September 15th 2021
The GAO found 40% of plan participants do not understand the 401k fee information mandated by the DOL; recommends welcome fee disclosure reform.
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Could the FTC Save Consumers from Hidden 401(k) Fees?
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By: Eric Droblyen
September 1st 2021
The Institute for Policy Integrity petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ban “hidden fees in all industries." They should start with hidden 401(k) fees.
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