Spurred by time-saving devices such as smart phones and tablets, our pace of life has sped up. And enrollment is no exception.

In thinking about how to open this column, I took three minutes to look up the fact that Usain Bolt took 9.58 seconds in his world-record 100-meter run; it took Michael Phelps 49.82 seconds to set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly; and Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in about two minutes. Add that all up and you have six minutes, which is about the time most employees who enroll online will spend making their voluntary benefit enrollment choices this fall.

Employees are making decisions that affect their financial security in six minutes. But how can they be expected to make a good decision in that time, especially when faced with a growing list of options?