Retirement Education & One-on-One Participant Guidance
Group education for your workforce. Individual guidance for employees who want to go deeper.
Employees need more than information about how their retirement plan works. They often have questions about how the plan applies to their own financial circumstances.
PointOak combines customized group education with complimentary 30-minute individual consultations that participants can schedule directly with a PointOak advisor.
This gives employees an opportunity to learn together—and direct access to personalized guidance when they have questions specific to them.
From Group Education to Individual Guidance
PointOak conducts group education meetings designed around your retirement plan, workforce, and current education priorities.
Sessions may cover plan features, enrollment, employer contributions, contribution strategies, Roth and pre-tax contributions, investment fundamentals, beneficiaries, and retirement readiness.
But some questions are difficult to address appropriately in a group setting. That's why PointOak also gives participants an opportunity to schedule a complimentary 30-minute individual meeting directly with one of our advisors.
Group education: Understand the plan, available benefits, and important retirement-planning concepts.
Individual consultation: Discuss questions based on the participant's own financial circumstances.
Ongoing support: Participants can return to the plan's available resources and, when appropriate, seek additional individual guidance.
What Can Participants Discuss One-on-One?
Asset Allocation & Investments
Discuss the participant's investment allocation within the retirement plan and how the available investment options may fit their circumstances, time horizon, and risk considerations.
Contribution Rates
Review current retirement contributions, employer contributions, savings objectives, and other considerations that may affect how much the participant chooses to contribute.
Pre-Tax vs. Roth
Help participants understand the differences between pre-tax and Roth contributions and considerations that may affect how they allocate contributions between the two.
Beneficiary Designations
Review the importance of beneficiary elections and whether existing designations should be revisited following marriage, divorce, children, or other significant life events.
Rollovers & Consolidation
Help participants understand their options for eligible retirement assets from previous employers, including whether consolidation into the current employer's plan may be available and appropriate.
Retirement Planning
Discuss retirement goals, timing, savings progress, and other considerations that may affect the participant's retirement strategy.
Complimentary 30-Minute Participant Consultations
Give Employees Direct Access to an Advisor
Every participant can schedule a complimentary 30-minute individual meeting with a PointOak advisor through our online calendar.
There is no need to wait for the next group education meeting. Employees who have questions can select an available time and speak directly with an advisor about their retirement-plan decisions and other retirement-planning considerations.
Retirement Education Throughout the Employee Lifecycle
New Hire & Onboarding Education
Help new employees understand their retirement benefit and the decisions they need to make as they join the plan.
- Plan Basics
- Enrollment
- Contribution Rates
- Pre-Tax vs. Roth
- Employer Contributions
- Beneficiaries
- Investment Options
This is also a natural opportunity to discuss eligible retirement accounts from a previous employer and whether consolidating those assets into the new employer's plan may be appropriate.
Ongoing Participant Education
Provide education as employees build retirement savings and their circumstances change.
- Contribution Strategy
- Investment Allocation
- Roth vs. Pre-Tax
- Employer Match
- Beneficiaries
- Financial Wellness
Employees can also schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation when they have questions specific to their circumstances.
Pre-Retirement Education
Help employees understand the decisions that become increasingly important as retirement approaches.
- Retirement Readiness
- Catch-Up Contributions
- Investment Allocation
- Social Security
- Medicare
- Distribution & Retirement Income Considerations
Offboarding & Transition Support
Help departing employees understand the decisions surrounding their retirement-plan account when they leave the organization.
- Distribution Options
- Rollover Considerations
- Account Consolidation
- Investment Considerations
- Beneficiaries
- Retirement Planning
PointOak can meet individually with departing participants to help them understand their available options and determine which approach may be appropriate for their circumstances.
Education Delivered Around Your Workforce
Education can be delivered in the format that makes sense for the organization and workforce:
- In-Person Group Meetings
- Webinars
- New-Hire Sessions
- Retirement Workshops
- Group + Individual Sessions
- One-on-One Consultations
PointOak can also coordinate with recordkeeper education specialists and use provider resources such as participant websites and plan tools when appropriate.
Guidance Beyond the Workplace Retirement Plan
For many participants, the complimentary consultation provides the help they need.
Others may have more complex financial circumstances or want ongoing assistance with investments and financial planning beyond their employer-sponsored retirement plan.
Participants who want broader assistance may separately choose to engage PointOak for private wealth management, financial planning, IRA and Roth IRA management, retirement income planning, or other individual advisory services.
These services are separate from the employer's retirement-plan engagement and may require a separate advisory agreement and additional fees.
Rollover Guidance
PointOak can help participants understand the options available for eligible retirement assets, which may include leaving assets in a former employer's plan, consolidating eligible assets into the current employer's plan when permitted, or considering an IRA rollover based on the participant's individual circumstances.
If a participant subsequently chooses a separately managed IRA or Roth IRA through PointOak, that becomes part of the separate individual advisory relationship.
Our Education Process
Understand: Review the plan, workforce, available resources, and education priorities.
Educate: Provide customized group education around relevant retirement-plan topics.
Connect: Make individual consultations easily accessible through PointOak's online scheduling calendar.
Guide: Help participants address questions based on their individual retirement-plan circumstances.
Support: Coordinate with available plan resources and provide additional guidance when appropriate.
Why PointOak
Retirement Education With Direct Advisor Access
PointOak combines group retirement education with something employees often value even more: the ability to speak directly with an advisor about their own questions.
Because we also advise the employer's retirement plan, our participant education can be coordinated with the plan's design, investments, employer contributions, recordkeeper resources, and other plan features.
And when an employee wants financial guidance beyond the workplace plan, PointOak has the capabilities to provide separate private wealth management and financial planning services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you provide both group education and individual meetings?
Yes. PointOak provides customized group education and complimentary 30-minute individual participant consultations. Employees can schedule individual meetings directly through our online calendar.
What can employees discuss during an individual consultation?
Topics may include asset allocation, retirement-plan investments, contribution rates, pre-tax versus Roth contributions, employer contributions, beneficiaries, eligible rollover considerations, and retirement-planning questions.
Can you help participants with their investment allocation?
Yes. Within the scope of our retirement-plan engagement, PointOak can provide guidance regarding the participant's allocation among the investment options available through the plan.
Can PointOak help with an old 401(k)?
Yes. PointOak can help participants understand the alternatives available for eligible retirement assets, including retaining assets in a former employer plan, consolidating them into the current plan when permitted, or considering an IRA rollover based on the participant's circumstances.
What happens if an employee wants more comprehensive financial planning?
Participants may separately engage PointOak for private wealth management or financial planning. These services are separate from the employer's retirement-plan engagement and may involve a separate advisory agreement and additional fees.
Do you coordinate with the recordkeeper?
Yes. PointOak can coordinate with recordkeeper education specialists and incorporate available participant websites, tools, and educational resources into the overall education program.
Give Employees Someone They Can Actually Talk To
Combine customized group education with direct access to a PointOak advisor for the individual retirement questions that don't fit neatly into a group presentation.