Preparing participants for the "what if's" in retirement

Unfortunately these days, we’re not surprised when we read that most Americans aren’t saving enough for retirement or that they aren’t even sure how much they will need to do it. It’s all too clear that America has a saving problem that could lead to a serious financial crisis. In 2009, our research on employees’ financial issues found that 86 percent of total users of our online Financial Learning Center had no idea whether they were on track to retire. That percentage is disturbing to anyone concerned about America’s financial future, from educators like us, to plan sponsors like your clients, and plan providers like you.

April is Financial Literacy Month, but it isn’t only important to financial educators. For plan providers, it’s an opportunity to promote retirement savings education to participants. Many employees aren’t sure where to begin or exactly what they should be planning for. You can provide some essential retirement planning guidance to help employees save more and become more educated.