Tech innovator spotlight: Cynthia Loh

Cynthia Loh wants technology to make it easy for employees to manage and invest in their 401(k)s.

As head of business development for Betterment and general manager for Betterment for Business, Loh is part of the team behind the robo-advisor’s new 401(k) platform, which officially launched earlier this year. In the platform, enrolled participants are invested in a globally diversified portfolio of index-tracking exchange-traded funds and benefit from personalized advice in a goal-based investing framework.

The firm now manages nearly $4 billion for more than 130,000 clients.

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Loh is the recipient of a Dig|Benefits Technology Innovator Award, a program designed to recognize visionaries who are driving technology innovation in the employee benefits space. Winners were honored at the Dig|Benefits conference in Austin, Texas, last week.

Loh says she envisions customization being the future of benefits.

“We hosted a great event in San Francisco recently with Nate Randall, who led Tesla’s benefit team,” Loh explains. “When he was at Tesla, they grew from 900 to 13,000 employees. You can imagine with a fast-growing and diverse workforce, one benefits solution that will make all employees happy is fairly challenging. Tesla’s response was to offer a fixed dollar amount in benefits, and an employee can choose what to spend their money on — whether it’s a gym membership or a match to their 401(k). The future of benefits likely looks a lot like this program — an exchange-based solution where employees are getting their highest-value needs met.”

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401(k) Retirement readiness Retirement benefits Retirement planning HR Technology Technology Dig|Benefits
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