Of the employers surveyed by Vestwell, almost 94% of them had under 100 employees. Thus our survey brings unique insight into the small plan market, which in the light of recent government mandates, legislation like the SECURE Act 2.0, and modern technology, is poised to experience rapid growth.

Among our survey group, 80% of small businesses were found to work with a financial advisor, and 34% of employers came to offer a retirement plan as a result of an advisor or accountant’s recommendation. Additionally, 44% of employers stated that they were considering plan design changes, an area employers also noted they seek counsel from advisors on. A further 47% of employers say personalized investment recommendations for their employees was a value-add from advisors. Taken together, these results show a growing market made of employers who highly value financial advice and the services advisors provide.

Also of note: over 70% of advisors said that recent market volatility has not affected their retirement business in the small plan market within the last year. Likewise, 40% of advisors anticipate their practice to significantly grow as a result of the rapid expansion of the small plan market, due to state mandates, tax incentives, and other factors.

These results demonstrate the growing importance of advisors in 2023. Despite volatile financial markets, employers are considering upgrades to their plans and are interested in professional advice, while a plurality of advisors believe their practice will expand due to small plan growth. In other words, the small business market is on track to become a big business.

In our survey, we found that almost a quarter (23.7%) of participating employers increased their 401(k) match this year. Excluding employers who made no change at all, the increased match was by far the most popular enhancement this year, representing 41% of plan changes this year. For employees who aren’t yet contributing to their retirement plan, an increased match was one of the most powerful motivators for getting started, behind only an increase in salary. Additionally, our survey found that among employers who made a change to their plan in the last year, 18% relaxed their eligibility standards over this time.

Further, 31% of employers who made a change to their plan in the last year introduced auto-enrollment. According to a May 2020 paper published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, auto-enrollment’s primary effect is to increase saving behavior among those with low levels of financial literacy. As a result, auto-enrollment may have the net effect of helping advisors expand the plan market into the realm of low-saving propensity individuals, in a major boon for the fight to close the savings gap. To that end, legislation like the SECURE Act 2.0, which was recently signed into law, mandates auto-enrollment among new direct contribution plans, creating an expectation of significant adoption.

Vestwell's survey data, along with research from academia, shows that employers are interested in bolstering their plan features, giving advisors a unique opportunity to attract difficult-to-reach savers. Survey results highlight increased employer match, auto-enroll, and relaxed eligibility standards as the main enhancements in the past year, which are promising for 401(k) plan participation in 2023.

These align well with what our survey found employers most value from an advisor. When asked what they look for in a relationship with their advisors, the top three qualities employers listed were “recommending and monitoring plan investment,” “educating employees,” and “recommending plan design.” All three relate to having an engaged, meaningful relationship with their advisor, indicating that employers value an advisor who genuinely cares about their relationship and strives for mutual success.

In short, small businesses value an advisor who is hands-on in ensuring the success of their plan, and they view success through the lens of employee satisfaction and ease of administration. Advisors who can provide a personalized experience to their clients, while also scaling to take advantage of the growing small plan market, are poised to succeed in the new year.

Across our survey of nearly 500 advisors, we found great interest in expanding the number of plan features and plan types their practice offers.

Among advisors who do not currently offer managed accounts, 18% of respondents said they intend to introduce them in the next year. This is on top of the 55% of advisors who already offer managed accounts, just under 41% of whom introduced them in the last year. These trends align with our findings on what advisors believe savers are looking for, with almost 57% saying they believe prospective clients are interested in personalized investment advice.

Additionally, when asked “Are you interested in expanding your practice to incorporate other savings programs in the coming year?” a majority of advisors indicated that they are. Breaking down their preferences into specific programs, we find the largest area of interest is for adding HSAs (46%), followed by 529 College Savings (32%), ESAs (18%), and 529A-ABLE (4%). These numbers may foreshadow a future in which advisors increasingly operate full-service practices.

Additionally, legislation like the SECURE Act 2.0, which significantly increases the tax credits available to small employers who open a new plan, may also contribute to advisors’ interest in expanding their business. Not only can the law be expected to increase the number of plans on offer, but its auto-enrollment and auto-escalation mandates can also be expected to increase the average value of each plan.