Skip to content

2020 Hot Topics in Retirement and Financial Wellbeing

This report is based on an annual survey that Alight Solutions administers to employers in an effort to capture the changes they intend to make to their retirement and financial wellbeing plans in the year ahead. The 2020 version is the 16th installment of the report and comes from the responses from over 130 organizations that employ 5.5 million workers. The survey was administered in the fall of 2019.

What’s new for 2020

This year’s version of the Hot Topics report includes a number of new questions, including:

  • A deeper dive on financial wellbeing features and hurdles
  • A section on the actions employers take to remain in contact with their retirees
  • The popularity of different retirement-related concepts being discussed in Washington, DC

We thank you for your interest in this report and hope you find our data and
insights valuable.

Related Insights


Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: Third Quarter 2025 Observations

Trading activity in retirement plans was light during the third quarter of 2025, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM. As stocks climbed to record highs, most participants chose to stay the course and watch their balances grow.

Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: September 2025 Observations

Trading activity in retirement accounts picked up in September, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index™. Many investors chose to move their money out of stocks into fixed income funds, showing a clear preference for safer options as the stock market was posting record highs

Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: August 2025 Observations

August was a quiet trading month for retirement plan investors, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index™. Trading activity remained low, with zero above-normal trading days.