What Makes a High-Performing Retirement Plan?
A high-performing retirement plan does more than provide access. It also helps employees take action, stay engaged, and make meaningful progress toward retirement readiness.
While most organizations offer a retirement plan, many participants still don't fully take advantage of it due to confusion, delayed engagement, and limited understanding of plan features. Advisors who combine thoughtful plan design, participant education, engagement strategies, and sponsor support can help create peak-performing retirement plans that drive stronger participation, improved savings behavior, and better long-term outcomes.
- Retirement plan participation gaps persist: Access to a plan alone does not guarantee engagement. Many eligible employees struggle to understand enrollment, employer matching contributions, auto features, and other key plan elements. Clear communication and participant education can help improve retirement plan participation and outcomes.
- Participant engagement drives progress: Effective retirement plan optimization goes beyond plan design. Personalized communication, financial wellness resources, and ongoing engagement strategies can encourage increased savings behavior and support overall retirement readiness.
- Operational excellence supports stronger plans: Fiduciary responsibilities and administrative complexity continue to challenge plan sponsors. Streamlined operations, strong governance practices, fiduciary support, and technology-enabled workflows can reduce confusion while helping advisors strengthen sponsor relationships and deliver greater value.
What Sets Peak-Performing Retirement Plans Apart
Despite near-universal access to retirement plans, participant engagement and retirement plan participation continue to fall short. Ascensus-backed research shows that while 98% of organizations offer a plan, only 58% believe employees fully take advantage of it. A big reason for this gap stems from confusion and delayed engagement—not affordability—creating an opportunity for advisors to strengthen the participant journey.
60%
of inaction is driven by lack of plan awareness and understanding of plan features like employer match*
30%
of employees indicated they did not know how the plan works or even how to get started*
23%
of inaction is driven by perceived unaffordability of retirement savings*
Participation: design plans employees actually use
By leveraging insights drawn from millions of participants, advisors and plan sponsors can implement effective participant engagement strategies that raise awareness, simplify financial decisions, and support stronger retirement readiness and long-term outcomes.
Protection: reduce fiduciary and administrative complexity
Improving participation is only one component of a high-performing retirement plan. Advisors can also help sponsors reduce fiduciary risk and administrative complexity through stronger governance practices, operational support, and education that increases sponsor confidence.
Progress: drive retirement readiness
Peak-performing retirement plans create progress by helping participants move beyond enrollment and toward sustained retirement readiness. Personalized communications, financial wellness resources, and ongoing engagement can improve savings behavior while helping sponsors demonstrate the value of their retirement benefit program.
Access the framework for high-performing retirement planning
A peak-performance approach to retirement planning can help reduce the burden of administrative complexity and fiduciary responsibilities by combining research-backed guidance, scalable technology, operational support, and fiduciary resources—allowing advisors to focus on strategic conversations, strengthen sponsor relationships, and identify opportunities for plan optimization.
Download our white paper to learn why participant engagement often falls short, what drives stronger retirement outcomes, and a practical framework for building peak-performing retirement plans that improve participation, support sponsor confidence, and drive long-term progress.
Contact Ascensus to learn more.
*Ascensus. New Ascensus Research Reveals Why Millions of Eligible Workers Do Not Contribute to Their Retirement Plans. Ascensus, LLC, March 2026.