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A summary of the articles included in the March 2026 edition:

  • Retirement Account Balances See Another Rise in Q4 2025
  • Are You Missing Out On This ‘Triple-Tax-Free’ Way to Save for Retirement? Pros Say Many of Us Are
  • Lively Research Reveals HR Leaders Are Adopting AI to Reclaim Time, Not Replace Teams
  • Account-Based Health Funding: What Benefit Leaders Should Prepare For


Retirement Account Balances See Another Rise in Q4 2025

Retirement account balances continued increasing through 2025, finds the latest data from Bank of America.

According to the bank’s latest Participant Pulse research, retirement account balances grew 13% in 2025 compared to year-end 2024, reaching $113,590 on average. Contribution rates also remained consistent through the last quarter of the year with an average of 7.2%.

Balances in HSAs grew to $5,600 at year-end, a rise from $5,030 at the end of 2024. The number of accountholders who contributed more than they withdrew also increased 36% year-to-date.

Despite the rise, most participants utilize the contributions to cover current healthcare expenses. Fifteen percent of respondents say they’re investing for potential future growth, but 72% are spending more of their contributions for daily healthcare needs rather than saving those contributions (28%).

Are You Missing Out On This ‘Triple-Tax-Free’ Way to Save for Retirement? Pros Say Many of Us Are

Americans are increasingly embracing the health savings account — a tax-advantaged account for those enrolled in a high-deductible health plan that can be used to save for medical expenses. Indeed, HSAs have had about a 40% adoption rate among people with access since their launch in 2003, according to data from a 2025 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is a figure that closely trails the 45% adoption rate of 401(k)s after the same amount of time, according to Georgetown Law’s analysis of the Revenue Act of 1978, the act which created 401(k)s.

Most Americans use these vehicles for their current health expenses, but they can also be a key component of a smart retirement strategy, pros say. “It’s important to see that an HSA is more than just a way to pay for current expenses. It can also help you plan for the future,” says Amy Ray, director of advice and wellness product solutions at Transamerica.

Lively Research Reveals HR Leaders Are Adopting AI to Reclaim Time, Not Replace Teams

Lively released its latest benchmark report, How HR Leaders Are Using AI in 2026, revealing that enterprise HR teams are embracing artificial intelligence as a practical tool to reduce operational overload — not as a sweeping replacement for human roles.

According to a November 2025 survey of more than 250 HR leaders at US-based companies with 1,000 or more employees, AI adoption intent is high, expectations are grounded, and benefits administration has emerged as the clearest starting point for real, measurable impact.

93% of HR leaders believe AI can improve efficiency across HR and benefits workflows, and nearly 66% see AI as a way to augment their teams rather than replace them. More than nine in ten HR leaders plan to add an AI-powered HR or benefits tool in the next year.

Account-Based Health Funding: What Benefit Leaders Should Prepare For

Recent statements from the current administration have signaled renewed interest in shifting health care affordability funding toward individual-controlled accounts rather than traditional group insurance structures. Still at the framework stage and requiring legislative action, the concept signals a potential shift in how health care purchasing power flows through the system.

Whether or not this specific proposal advances, the direction of travel is already visible. Health care spending authority is moving closer to the individual. When control of dollars shifts, benefit design, risk allocation, and employee engagement models reorganize. For employers and benefit advisors, the question is not simply how to respond to a single policy proposal. The question is how to prepare for a market where employees increasingly act as direct purchasers of care.

Consumer-directed care has been discussed for more than a decade, but the combination of high deductible saturation, HSA asset scale, and emerging benefit wallet technology marks a structural inflection rather than incremental change.