What Makes a Great Retirement Plan App? JD Power’s 2025 Findings
In the latest episode of the JD Power Financial Services Intelligence Update, Mike Foy, managing director of Wealth Intelligence, and Jon Sundberg, director of Digital Solutions, joined Miles Tullo, managing director of Financial Services, to discuss insights from the 2025 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Satisfaction Study.
The conversation revealed what separates top-performing digital retirement platforms from those falling behind and what plan providers can do to improve participant engagement, trust and satisfaction.
The 103-Point Experience Gap
According to the 2025 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Satisfaction Study, there’s a 103-point difference between the best and worst digital experiences in the industry. Top-performing firms excel across every aspect of design, performance, tools, and content, but two factors stand out:
- Interactive Tools That Drive Engagement: Tools that help users visualize progress and take action on savings goals keep participants engaged, especially after “set it and forget it” enrollment processes.
- Mobile Experience That Feels Seamless: “We’ve seen firms like Bank of America really invest in unifying their mobile experience,” Foy said. “Features like the virtual assistant Erica and the Life Plan tool make it easier for customers to engage across multiple financial needs.”
Security: A Must-Have for Trust and Satisfaction
Security has become a major driver of satisfaction. The study found that when participants perceive security as “very effective,” overall satisfaction jumps by 52 points.
Leading firms are now designing security into the user experience, not around it. “We know security is vital. This is your customer’s information, their digital DNA,” Sundberg said. “They want to feel confident that their data is being protected, and design plays a big role in that perception.”
Key design elements can help build trust and improve satisfaction:
- Clean, professional login pages with recognizable options like “Remember Me.”
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA), now widely expected and even appreciated by users.
- Small touches such as padlock icons and clear, jargon-free messages that reassure users their data is safe.
Even younger users, who once resisted MFA, now welcome it, especially when it is combined with biometric authentication for faster and more seamless access.
The Missed Opportunity: Proactive Guidance
Despite progress in design and security, 61% of plan participants say digital tools fall short on proactive guidance. “Proactive guidance means delivering relevant, personalized and timely information that helps participants make smarter financial decisions,” Foy said.
He explained that retirement planning doesn’t happen in isolation. Participants, especially younger ones, are also managing:
- Student loan debt
- Credit card balances
- Savings for major purchases like a first home
To help bridge the industry-wide gap in proactive guidance, many retirement plan providers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics to deliver more personalized digital experiences. “AI allows firms to use participant data to identify what messages and topics have resonated with others who share similar profiles,” Foy said. “It’s a huge differentiator in creating targeted, relevant content.”
Learn more about what makes a great retirement plan digital experience.
The JD Power 2025 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Satisfaction Study, now available in the press release linked below, measures how effectively retirement plan providers deliver digital experiences that build engagement, trust, and satisfaction across web and mobile platforms.
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