employees man woman questions

Employees have questions about their 401(k)s.

Even if they do pay attention to the educational materials provided by plan providers, they might be unclear on just how a plan works.

The slides that follow show 7 typical questions employees ask about their 401(k)s.

The article below also tells more. Be sure to check out the 'related article' link to our recent piece about a lawsuit that hinges on when and whether the plan participant read the retirement plan documents. (Photos: Shutterstock)

As the job market gets tighter and tighter, you may find that prospective new hires as well as current employees are asking questions about their benefits—in particular their 401(k)s. With one of the top employee worries these days being whether they'll be financially prepared to retire, they're liable to have a lot of questions about just how beneficial their retirement plans are—and there are plenty of websites offering suggestions on what they should be asking. Everyone from plan provider companies to consumer sites is more than ready to enlighten workers on what they should know and what they should ask if they don't. Even if workers do pay attention to the educational materials provided by plan providers, they might be unclear on just how a plan works. Related: What happens when plan participants don't read the docs? Intel asks SCOTUS to clarify ERISA statute of limitations In addition, the older employees get (and the closer to retirement), or the more tempted they might be to jump ship and head off to a new company in search of higher salaries or better benefits packages, the more they're going to wonder about their retirement plans and how they compare to those on offer at other companies. So, lest you be caught off guard by the things they want to know, here are 7 questions you might want to be prepared for in advance.  
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Marlene Satter

Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.