When I was in my early 20s, I had just finished paying off my student loans and was trying to build a strong emergency fund for peace of mind. At the time, I knew it was important to start saving for retirement. So I opened an IRA, since I didn't have access to a 401(k) plan at the time.
My company began offering a 401(k) shortly after, though, so I signed up for it once it became available. But there's a mistake I made back then that I've sorely regretted since.
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I should've pushed for a better workplace plan
I was fairly new to retirement savings when I signed up for my company's 401(k). But I wound up contributing to that workplace plan for a few years before leaving that job. And one thing I wish I would've done differently was push for a better plan.
I didn't have a big problem with the investments my old 401(k) offered. That plan had your typical mix of more expensive mutual funds and some lower-cost index funds. My issue, rather, was that there was no workplace match.
At the time, 401(k) matching wasn't as common a practice as it is today. But there were plenty of companies doing it.
Meanwhile, I was a pretty valued employee at my company. Had I had the guts to approach someone and fight for a better plan, the folks in charge perhaps would've considered kicking in some money for employees.
But I stayed quiet. And as a result, I got no help saving for retirement.
A benefit I've since failed to capture
Since working for that first employer, I ended up getting hired by two separate companies that offered their own 401(k) plan. And neither of those subsequent employers offered a 401(k) match.
I wasn't so quiet about it the second and third time around, though.
Both times, I went to the company's human resources department and put in an official request for a workplace match. And both times, I got denied, with each company citing a different excuse.
But at least I tried.
If you work for a company whose 401(k) plan leaves much to be desired, you shouldn't hesitate to speak up about it -- respectfully, of course. And it's not just an absent employer match that may be the problem.
It may be that your company's 401(k) doesn't offer a lot of investment choices. It may be that the funds being offered largely come with high fees, known as expense ratios. Or it may be that your 401(k) comes with hefty administrative fees. (If you're paying more than 1%, you may be getting ripped off.)
Your workplace retirement plan could be your ticket to building a solid retirement nest egg. So if it isn't working for you, don't stay quiet about it.
Even if you fight for a better plan and are unsuccessful in the near term, you never know whether your employer might take your feedback to heart down the line. And even if the changes you ask for aren't implemented while you're still on the payroll, by speaking up, you could be paving the way to a better 401(k) for future employees.
To this day, I kick myself for not sharing my thoughts with my first employer. Had I done so, I might've received some sweet matching dollars that, by now, could've grown into a pretty respectable sum.
