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The 401(k) employee engagement starter kit

Here are 7 simple tools to help your employees get the most out of their 401(k) plans at Betterment.

By Betterment Editors

Published Mar. 27, 2025

A woman at a blackboard, teaching a lesson.

The 401(k) employee engagement starter kit Mar 27, 2025 11:26:06 AM Here are 7 simple tools to help your employees get the most out of their 401(k) plans at Betterment. If you offer a 401(k) plan, making sure that your employees are engaged not only can improve their financial lives, but your business as well. With workers juggling competing financial priorities, we’ve seen that financial anxiety can impact people in every aspect of their lives, including their capacity to perform effectively in their jobs. Our 2024 Retirement Readiness report uncovered the need for employers to engage their employees when it comes to 401(k) education: Not only will engagement help your employees manage financial stress, but it will also help boost your workforce’s overall performance. If “employee engagement” sounds like a lot of work, don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered. Use the seven tools in this playbook to help your employees feel comfortable navigating their 401(k) from day one. Your 401(k) starter kit: 7 tools to engage your employees Video: How to claim your Betterment 401(k) - Share this video with your employees. It walks them through claiming their account. Your employees will also receive a series of emails from Betterment, inviting them to claim their 401(k) account, but getting this video directly from you is a great way to nudge those who haven’t yet done so.. Video: Getting started webinar - Every month, our team at Betterment offers a live webinar where we walk through your employees’ 401(k). We’ll cover the importance of saving for retirement, how to use the platform, provide additional resources, and answer any questions your team may have. Resource center: Betterment.com/my401k - From 401(k) tricks to investing tips, our resource center has dozens of articles, videos, and more to help your employees navigate their financial lives. Video & article: How to pick a contribution rate - “How much from each paycheck should go into my account?” is a question every plan enrollee asks themselves (and we help them answer it). We highlight key considerations for employees to address when selecting a contribution rate. Article: How to rollover a 401(k) from a former employer - For employees with a 401(k) from an old employer, a rollover can sound daunting. In fact, in our Retirement Readiness Report, we found that 17% of employees don’t even know where their old 401(k) is, 22% don’t know how to do a rollover, and a whopping 34% with an old 401(k) plan have withdrawn it as cash, instead of rolling it into another retirement plan. In this article, we walk through why a rollover may make sense and the process to get started. Article: How to set up an emergency fund along with your 401(k) - Along with a 401(k), it’s recommended that people have three to six months of expenses saved in an emergency fund. We show employees three steps to help them figure out a number that works in their budget. . Article: Understanding required minimum distributions - For employees closer to retirement, required minimum distributions (RMDs) are important to start thinking about. In this article, we explain why the IRS requires RMDs and how they work. Start sharing these resources with your employees today. Together, we can help employees take control of their financial future.

Here are 7 simple tools to help your employees get the most out of their 401(k) plans at Betterment.

If you offer a 401(k) plan, making sure that your employees are engaged not only can improve their financial lives, but your business as well. With workers juggling competing financial priorities, we’ve seen that financial anxiety can impact people in every aspect of their lives, including their capacity to perform effectively in their jobs.

Our 2024 Retirement Readiness report uncovered the need for employers to engage their employees when it comes to 401(k) education:

Employee engagement stat Not only will engagement help your employees manage financial stress, but it will also help boost your workforce’s overall performance.

If “employee engagement” sounds like a lot of work, don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered.

Use the seven tools in this playbook to help your employees feel comfortable navigating their 401(k) from day one.

Your 401(k) starter kit: 7 tools to engage your employees

Video: How to claim your Betterment 401(k) - Share this video with your employees. It walks them through claiming their account. Your employees will also receive a series of emails from Betterment, inviting them to claim their 401(k) account, but getting this video directly from you is a great way to nudge those who haven’t yet done so..
Video: Getting started webinar - Every month, our team at Betterment offers a live webinar where we walk through your employees’ 401(k). We’ll cover the importance of saving for retirement, how to use the platform, provide additional resources, and answer any questions your team may have.
Resource center: Betterment.com/my401k - From 401(k) tricks to investing tips, our resource center has dozens of articles, videos, and more to help your employees navigate their financial lives.
Video & article: How to pick a contribution rate - “How much from each paycheck should go into my account?” is a question every plan enrollee asks themselves (and we help them answer it). We highlight key considerations for employees to address when selecting a contribution rate.
Article: How to rollover a 401(k) from a former employer - For employees with a 401(k) from an old employer, a rollover can sound daunting. In fact, in our Retirement Readiness Report, we found that 17% of employees don’t even know where their old 401(k) is, 22% don’t know how to do a rollover, and a whopping 34% with an old 401(k) plan have withdrawn it as cash, instead of rolling it into another retirement plan. In this article, we walk through why a rollover may make sense and the process to get started.
Article: How to set up an emergency fund along with your 401(k) - Along with a 401(k), it’s recommended that people have three to six months of expenses saved in an emergency fund. We show employees three steps to help them figure out a number that works in their budget. .
Article: Understanding required minimum distributions - For employees closer to retirement, required minimum distributions (RMDs) are important to start thinking about. In this article, we explain why the IRS requires RMDs and how they work.

Start sharing these resources with your employees today. Together, we can help employees take control of their financial future.