Charles Schwab: Retirement Plan Services: Overview

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Schwab's approach to building and delivering education programs

Identify the goal.

We conduct a thorough analysis of your plan, using our substantial industry experience to help you set realistic, measurable goals.

Plan review—We examine participation rates, deferrals, diversification and other statistics to help you evaluate performance compared with companies in similar situations.
Opportunity mapping—From an impending investment change to below-average deferrals in a single office, we identify areas where education and advice could make a difference.
Benchmarking—Our programs begin with a benchmark against which future results can be measured.

Know the audience.

An important part of your plan analysis will be a thorough examination of your employee base to understand their issues, needs and concerns.

Employee attitudes—Often we survey participants to determine how well they understand your company's plan, its investments, access, ease of use, reporting, etc.
Motivation to participate—To identify opportunities for improving participation and deferrals, we search for common reasons why some employees participate and some don't.
Differences across employee segments—Education needs can vary widely by age, culture, sex, income and other demographics. Specific employee groups may need special attention.

Think program, not event.

People don't learn or change overnight. We include pre- and post-event communications to provide the message frequency and reinforcement required to register key points and inspire action.

Establishing a time frame—We'll help you decide on a reasonable amount of time to allow you to reach your education objective: three months, six months, a year or more.
Leveraging multiple channels—Because people learn in different ways, we offer education in group meetings, in individual consultations, online and in print.
Building in repetition—To register key messages, we'll recommend a program that repeats important points in newsletters, emails, posters, postcards and more.

Deliver professionally.

Your employees will have access to representatives who understand your plan and have solid financial and education experience.

Presenting in person—Our on-site seminars are taught by licensed investment professionals who are also available for one-on-one appointments.
Going online—Employees can participate in virtual meetings and correspond via email or over the phone with representatives familiar with your plan.
Supporting your staff—We can provide education for your trainers or human resources department to help you conduct more effective events of your own.

Listen and adjust.

While it may take time to see overall program results, immediate feedback can help you adjust your program along the way.

Soliciting feedback—After every on-site and online seminar, we ask your employees to rate the job we've done.
Regular reviews—We will check in with you frequently to keep current on the progress of your program.
Adjustments as needed—We can help you respond quickly when fine-tuning may improve results.

Measure and interpret results.

Over time, consistent results measurement and reporting help you develop a rich resource of learnings that can lead to more effective programs in the future.

Measuring against objectives—We help you evaluate your progress against the measurable goals we set at the outset of the program.
Benchmarking progress—We will prepare a formal analysis of your education program, documenting benchmark results and anecdotal information that may have impacted results.
Linking results with audiences—We will help you understand key drivers among various employee demographics.

We provide a custom plan for every plan—specific to your company, relevant to your participants.