Data and Research April 7, 2022

Plan Sponsors Want Participants to Improve Retirement Income Planning

Education regarding financial wellness can include reminders of what to keep in mind for the future.

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Many retirement plan participants have approached retirement income planning informally, and workers need additional help to prepare for retirement.

Data from Principal Retirement and Income Solutions Retirement Security Survey examined employers’ views of workers’ retirement income planning to better understand what employees are doing and how their retirement income planning could be improved. The data shows that 8% of employers say employees have done a poor job in determining a target age for retirement; 11% say employees are not reviewing estimated Social Security benefits well, and 13% indicate employees have done a poor job of calculating what amount of savings they need to retire.

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Employers said retirement plan participants were poor at creating a formal retirement income plan (29%), meeting with a financial adviser regarding retirement savings and income planning (23%), and reviewing their expected health care costs in retirement (33%).  

“What this effectively tells you is it seems to be fairly informal,” says Sri Reddy, senior vice president for retirement and income solutions at Principal Financial Group.

“We know that as Americans get older and they get near the retirement zone many do go investigate their Social Security earnings and records, they do look at what their benefit payments could be or should be, they look at what Medicare enrollment looks like. But as you go toward creating a formal retirement income plan, very few people invest the time, energy or effort to actually understanding how to decumulate assets, which is what creates a gap in confidence,” he says.

The Principal report also found that 98% of plan sponsors say calculating how much they need to retire comfortably is a top retirement income planning topic where employees need help. Meeting with a financial professional regarding retirement savings and income planning was second at 89%.

Reddy explains that policymakers, through legislation, have recognized the need to show workers how their accumulated total balances will translate into monthly amounts, because “most people don’t know if that translates into what they need and if that’s going to be enough for them.” He advises that to help participants, plan sponsors can provide retirement income calculators that include lifetime income illustrations.

The 2019 Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act required that participants’ retirement plan account statements include lifetime income illustrations based on participants’ accumulated plan balances. “Some type of translation like that will help,” Reddy says.

Addressing Overall Financial Wellness

Many plan sponsors are putting more resources into employees’ financial wellness, but they must ensure programming is targeted to address workers’ needs and track the results, Reddy says. “There are many providers, including Principal, that provide plenty of tools, guidance and education—we have on-site enrollers who can assist—but it may not be enough,” he says. “It may not provide the one-to-one guidance, counseling and coaching employees are desiring.”

He adds that plan sponsors must think about how to actually engage with employees and provide them with meaningful financial education so that they feel confident.

Plan sponsors can do better to help plan participants improve their readiness and address the top issues employers see by helping workers look at their financial picture overall rather than in silos, Reddy suggests. Participants are torn between many financial priorities, including saving for a home at a time of rising prices, paying down student debt, and buying groceries as inflation spikes, and for many, “retirement is going to seem elusive and a long way off,” he says.

“The conversation needs to be all-encompassing and inclusive, to say, ‘You’re going to be okay, here’s some steps you can take now, here’s some things you need to be thinking about over the next however many years and here are things you need to think about as you transition to retirement,’” he explains.

A report from Alight Solutions, “Improving Retirement Readiness for Underrepresented Groups,” includes several more tips for plan sponsors to improve their participants’ retirement readiness.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the number of non-white U.S. workers has doubled since 1979 and currently stands at one-quarter of the workforce. The report says the Hispanic portion increased from 5% to 18%, and women now make up almost one-half of the civilian workforce.

Plan sponsors will have to bring to bear solutions and products that help demographic groups which have lagged in accumulating sufficient retirement savings. One solution is for employers to help workers build up non-retirement savings and establish emergency savings, according to Alight.

Plan sponsors can also consider diversity, equity and inclusion in the investment selection process and use a diverse savings communication strategy that tailors communications to the workforce. Other things Alight suggests for helping employees with retirement readiness and financial wellness include building benefits equity into the retirement with a plan contribution that is not tied to a match, using a backsweep or stretch match, and helping participants keep small plan balances earmarked for retirement. 

Compliance April 7, 2022

Student Loan Repayment Freeze Extended Through August

In announcing the loan forbearance extension, President Biden acknowledged that the country is still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused.

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President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Education have announced an extension of the federal student loan payment freeze until August 31, 2022, in an effort to assist borrowers in achieving greater financial security and to support the DOE’s efforts to continue improving student loan programs.

The forbearance was previously set to expire May 1, 2022, but President Biden says he recognizes the country is still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused. Because of that pause in repayments, 41 million Americans were able to breathe a little easier during some of the toughest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden says.

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“If loan payments were to resume on schedule in May, analysis of recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests that millions of student loan borrowers would face significant economic hardship, and delinquencies and defaults could threaten Americans’ financial stability,” Biden says. “Accordingly, to enable Americans to continue to get back on their feet after two of the hardest years this nation has ever faced, my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments through August 31, 2022.”

In a statement, the DOE says the extension will provide additional time for borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments, reducing the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart. During the extension, the DOE says it will continue to assess the financial impacts of the pandemic on student loan borrowers and prepare to transition them smoothly back into repayment.

Borrowers with paused loans will be allowed to receive a “fresh start” on repayment by eliminating the impact of delinquency and default—allowing them to reenter repayment in good standing, the DOE says. The DOE also says it will continue to provide loan relief, including to borrowers who have been defrauded by their institutions and those eligible for relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

“The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that student loan borrowers have a smooth transition back to repayment,” says U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “This additional extension will allow borrowers to gain more financial security as the economy continues to improve and as the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to support students, families, and borrowers—especially those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. During the pause, we will continue our preparations to give borrowers a fresh start and to ensure that all borrowers have access to repayment plans that meet their financial situations and needs.”

An analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget suggests the loan pause has resulted in the effective cancelation of significant amounts of student debt thus far, namely through the suspension of interest accrual. The CRFB estimates a typical recent medical or law school graduate will effectively receive anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 of debt cancellation, while those with a bachelor’s degree or who were unable to graduate will receive $2,000 to $4,500 in debt cancellation, assuming that a recent graduate has not yet begun repayment.

The CRFB’s analysis goes on to suggest the extension of the forbearance program may have unintended consequences that see higher-income earners benefit the most. This is because, although only 7% of borrowers have over $100,000 of debt, their debt accounts for almost 40% of the total outstanding amount. On the opposite end, those with $0 to $20,000 of debt, who presumably are working in lower-paid fields, account for 53% of borrowers and make up just 13% of the amount outstanding. And in the middle, those with $20,000 to $40,000 of debt account for 21% of borrowers and 17% of the outstanding debt, while those with $40,000 to $100,000 of debt account for 18% of borrowers and 32% of the outstanding debt.

Despite this, most adults in the U.S. (57%) want President Biden to make student loan forgiveness a priority—a majority that increases by 27 points to 84% when considering those with federal student loans, according to a January CNBC/Momentive “Invest in You” poll. Overall, nearly two-thirds (62%) of adults in the U.S. say they approve of President Biden’s decision to pause student loan repayment until May 1st, which grows to 84% approval among federal student loan borrowers.

The respondents were split over what should happen next, with 69% of respondents who say President Biden should grant some type of student loan forgiveness. The survey found that 34% of the general public say all student loans should be forgiven, 35% say that student loans should be forgiven just for those in need and 27% say no student loans should be forgiven for anyone.

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