Do you want a 401(k) for your company?
This guide provides you with materials to help you effectively frame conversations and the business case for having a 401(k) with your employer and coworkers. Also access a tool to help you compare different 401(k) plans on the market.
Get data and facts about 401(k)s
Open conversations with your coworkers about current company benefits and how to best save for retirement
Advocate for a benefits change
Address your employer’s concerns
Ask your employer to start or strengthen a company 401(k)
Access template emails you can send to your coworkers, boss or HR leader
A 401(k), named after a part of the IRS code, is one of the most common tools that people use to save for retirement. In a nutshell, a 401(k) is a special, employer-sponsored investment account that allows employees to contribute a percentage of their salary, pre-tax, to be stored away for retirement.
While this may seem a little complicated, it breaks down into three defining features:
1. Sponsored by an employer
While individuals are the ones who participate in the plan, they can not set one a 401(k) on their own -- they need their employer to do so because, by definition, these tax-deferred plans are specifically set up to help businesses encourage their employees to save for retirement.
2. Earmarked for retirement
While there are certain instances in which you can withdraw money early from your 401(k) account, they are only advisable under extreme circumstances and come with hefty penalties. By design, funds in 401(k)s are supposed to be used to help cover living expenses in your retirement years.
3. Invested in the stock market
Funds in a 401(k) can be allocated to different types of investments, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, index funds, savings accounts, money market funds, and more. There are more than 30,000 funds available on the market, but which of those are available may depend on the 401(k) plan provider. Some plan providers offer greater flexibility than others in allowing you to choose where and how to invest your money (or how to change your investment allocation).
How should you choose funds in your 401(k)? You can learn more here.
Have you heard much about one of the increasingly popular types of investment options in 401(k)s: target-date funds? Learn more about them here.
We’re here for your company now and in the future. Human Interest takes the hassle out of managing your company’s 401(k): compliance testing, recordkeeping, paperwork—even automating syncs with your payroll. We offer Traditional and Roth 401(k)s, 403(b)s, safe harbor plans, and profit-sharing plans — we’ll help you figure out what’s right for you. Employers can customize matching and vesting options at no additional cost.