401(k) plans are in a world of contradictions. It’s one of the few employer provided benefits that an employee usually pays for. Most 401(k) plans offer participant directed investments and participants are usually the least equipped to make financial investment decisions. 401(k) plan sponsors can be held legally responsible for administration fees that their plan providers were not legally required to tell them about until January 2012. Based on my experience, one of the biggest contradictions is that the smaller the 401(k) plan, the bigger the problems.