Every year, plan sponsors sit through the annual 401(k) review. There’s a deck. There are charts. Investment performance gets discussed. Fees get mentioned. Everyone nods, a few questions get asked, and then the meeting ends.
And nothing changes.
If that sounds familiar, your annual review isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do.
The purpose of a plan review isn’t to present information—it’s to make decisions. Yet most reviews are structured like a recap instead of a working session. You’re being told what already happened, not what needs to happen next.
It becomes an exercise in checking boxes. Yes, investments were reviewed. Yes, fees were discussed. Yes, fiduciary duty was acknowledged. But if no actual changes come out of the meeting, what did you really accomplish?
A meaningful review should feel a little uncomfortable. It should raise questions about whether your current provider is still the right fit. It should challenge whether your investment lineup still makes sense. It should force a discussion about participant outcomes—not just plan features.
If your review ends without at least one actionable decision, it wasn’t a review. It was a presentation.
Sponsors need to start treating these meetings differently. Ask harder questions. Push for comparisons, not just summaries. Demand recommendations, not just reporting. And most importantly, expect that something—anything—should improve as a result of the conversation.
Because the risk isn’t that you’re having annual reviews.
The risk is thinking that having them means you’re actually managing your plan.
