Login | October 08, 2026
Insights from 401(k) champions
JULIE JASON
Published: October 8, 2026
I'm going to guess that someone in your circle of friends and family works for a company that offers a 401(k) plan. Would it be helpful to have them "talk" with a 401(k) participant who figured out how to make the most of his or her 401(k)?
That's what I can offer you here, through the mechanism of a national essay contest that I fund in my role as a proponent of financial literacy education. Called the 401(k) Champion Competition, this year's contest ran from National 401(k) Champion Day (June 15, 2026) through Aug. 28, 2026. Three winners were announced on National 401(k) Day (Sept. 10, 2026).
"This year's competition has been intense, with applications from 24 different states from Alabama to Washington," commented Vytas Kisielius, director of the 401(k) Champion Competition.
2026's three 401(k) Champions are Dr. Paras Khandhar, vice-chief of pediatrics at Corewell Health and associate professor of pediatrics at William Beaumont School of Medicine; Thane Walton, vice president of practice management and retirement for United Planners; and Jonathan Steen, project manager for Goodfellow Brothers.
Champion Khandhar shared about meeting with new doctors: "I regularly meet with new residents, who have no idea about or sense of financial literacy, and it makes my day to get them started on the way of prudently investing in their future. … I wholeheartedly believe that even small moves now, like learning how to open an account, taking advantage of a company match, etc., can have a profound butterfly effect for their future."
Champion Walton talked about how he started investing through his 401(k): "My own 401(k) journey started with a simple nudge from my sister," Walton said. "I've spent much of my career trying to give that same nudge to others. … Like planting a tree, the best time to start was years ago. The second-best time is today!"
Champion Steen talked about how his 401(k) fit into his goals: "I appreciate my 401(k) because it gives me a clear path toward financial freedom," Steen wrote. "To me, retirement savings … are about having choices later in life: when to retire, how much time to spend with family, and whether I have to continue working because I need the paycheck. Every contribution is buying a little more of that future freedom."
All valuable insights -- as were these comments shared by honorable mentions.
Daniel Roy learned about the power of compound interest in a college personal finance class. His professor's core advice was to invest in an index fund, "set it and forget it, and let time do the heavy lifting."
Heather Nelson shared her story about what happens when you don't opt to save for retirement. "I was young, living alone and trying to make it on my own. I didn't think I could survive with 5% less of my paycheck, so I chose not to participate."
Fifteen years later, Nelson decided to start contributing to her company's 401(k), and now she maxes out her contribution. "I look at the current balance of my 401(k) and I think back to the decision I made when I was 19 and I pine over how much bigger that balance could be," she said.
Nathan Huffman focused on time: "The problem with waiting is that life does not eventually send you a notification saying, 'Congratulations! You have reached the point where everything is paid for and you now have plenty of money to invest.'"
"Building wealth through a 401(k) does not require you to be a financial genius," Huffman added. "It requires you to keep making good decisions after the excitement wears off."
Roopali Shrivastava offered thoughts about how to handle stock market volatility: "Money that goes in should be invested and forgotten about, not checked every week or moved around every time the market wobbles. Pick a reasonable allocation … and let the professionals who manage those funds do their job."
These comments show you just a small slice of how successful participants can help others benefit from their 401(k)s. Perhaps those others will compete for next year's title of 401(k)Champion. See 401kchampion.com for more details.
Seasoned investment counsel (tinyurl.com/52nus8hz) and award-winning columnist and author, Julie Jason, JD, LLM, promotes financial literacy and investor protection. Read her latest book, "The Discerning Investor: Personal Portfolio Management in Retirement for Lawyers (and Their Clients)" (tinyurl.com/4u7h9pjs), published by the American Bar Association. Write to Julie at readers@juliejason.com. While all questions cannot be answered, each email is read and reviewed and can lead to discussion in a future column.
COPYRIGHT 2026 Julie Jason, DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500