In The Media

CNBC: These 401k Mistakes Could Cost You 6 Figures

If you’re saving in a 401k, you’ve already taken the first step towards a brighter future. But if it feels like you’re not winning at 401k investing, you’re not alone.

Fidelity reported to CNBC that, “the average 20-something had $11,800 in a 401k in the first quarter of 2019…For people in their 30s, the balance jumped to $42,400.”

People have a hard time visualizing the future because we are not programmed for long-term thinking.

-Chad Parks, Ubiquity Founder and CEO

Read insights from retirement planning experts on common 401k missteps to avoid–or it will cost you in the long run. Topics range from your savings mindset to missing out on your employer’s matching contributions.

Yahoo Finance: Why retirement realities are changing for future generations

What’s the best way for millenials to prepare for a financially secure future? Pay yourself first.

As Ubiquity CEO Chad Parks told Yahoo Finance, prioritizing personal retirement savings is more important than ever–particularly for younger workers who can’t count on Social Security or pensions to supplement their nest eggs.

A Wells Fargo study reveals today’s retirees are the last demographic to experience their golden years shaped by forces of the prior century. The survey notes 86% of today’s U.S. retirees are living primarily off their social security or pension, and younger generations are taking notice.

CNBC: Here’s How to Balance a Side Gig and a Full Time Job

Are you using a sidehustle to supplement your income? Have you ever tried your hand at freelancing or jumping into the gig economy? If you have, you’re definitely not alone. According to a recent survey by SunTrust, more than half of Americans report having a side gig at some point.

On average, side jobs pull in an average of $8,794 a year, with millennials making almost 20% more per year at $10,972.

Ubiquity founder and CEO Chad Parks shared his insights with CNBC on the importance of planning ahead and saving for new side-giggers–including budgeting for hefty self-employment taxes. Balancing a side gig and a full-time job can be hard, but planning and managing your time and financials well makes it easier.

Employee Benefits News: Getting Gen Z focused on the future

Around 12% of Generation Z is saving for retirement, according to a study by the Center for Generational Kinetics.

Considering the first wave of this generation started entering the workforce last year, this figure suggests Gen Z is mindful of the importance of saving for retirement—but they could be doing better. Like millennials before them, Gen Z will likely have to rely completely on personal savings when it comes time to retire.

Ubiquity’s Director of Product Innovation Ashvin Prakash spoke with Employee Benefit News about the saving habits of the youngest members of our workforce, along with retirement strategies catered to Gen Z.  He praises the young generation’s willingness to educate themselves and engage with financial products.

So, what can employers do to help Gen Z start saving for retirement? According to Ashvin, there’s four main things you can do:

“First, embrace auto enrollment. We know Gen Z is fast-paced, always connected to devices and adept multitaskers, but it can be difficult to get their attention. Incorporate that and auto escalation into their retirement plan and they’re on track without having to go in and make a proactive choice or selection. Our studies find that making auto enrollment optional boosts employee participation 40%.

Second, make online financial wellness tools available. With Gen Z working for the first time, they’re having to make decisions they haven’t before. I think employers are realizing they have a big role to play here. If they help young workers understand what they’re facing and create a long-term plan for success, they’re going to create loyal employees. One thing I’ve seen work is gamifying financial wellness. We’ll run contests at work where whoever takes the most financial wellness courses gets a prize.

The third thing is embracing digital components of benefits. Historically 401(k)s needed paper documents, but to engage Gen Z you need to offer benefits online. A lot of them make important decisions outside of working hours. Make your benefits easily accessible on personal devices like iPads and iPhones so they can make decisions at a time it’s convenient for them.

Lastly, employers can do a lot to invest in Gen Z’s financial health. As they come on board, you can encourage them to participate in your retirement benefits by matching 401(k) plan contributions.”

Credit Donkey: Good for Small Business: How This Provider Helps Business Owners

Ubiquity Retirement + Savings is proud to be celebrating 20 years of small business retirement success.

Curious how we got our start?

Take a look into our CEO Chasd Park’s motivations for founding Ubiquity, his tested knowledge, and expertise in our industry.

Ubiquity was born from Chad’s work as a financial adviser to small businesses in the mid-1990s.
At the time small businesses had only two options for retirement offerings:

• Be taken advantage of by large institutions
  • These legacy establishments focused more on making money for the broker than offering an affordable, quality product for the business.
• Be ignored completely by large institutions
  • The traditional retirement system is driven by asset based fees–and small businesses often didn’t generate enough money to be considered a valuable.

Something needed to change. So, Chad created a company to help small employers access affordable 401(k) accounts over a then-burgeoning new thing called “the internet.” 20 years later, while we’ve grown in size, we still follow the same business model.

We’re just one small business helping others change the world—one retirement savings plan at a time.