Expanding plan coverage to part-time workers

I have friends who work part-time for different reasons (realizing that the definition of “part-time” may vary from one employer to another). During a recent conversation with one of my friends (I’ll use the name “Becky”), we discussed the topic about having enough retirement savings to retire at our “normal retirement date,” and even better, being able to retire comfortably. I was sorry to learn that Becky’s employer’s 401(k) plan didn’t cover her – and was even more sorry to hear that retiring didn’t seem to be much of an option for her! 

A few days later I was talking with another friend (who I also knew worked part-time and who I will call “Joe”), and out of curiosity, asked how he felt about his retirement readiness. Joe had the same story as Becky; Joe is not covered under his employer’s 401(k) plan, and he has little confidence that he can retire – and certainly not retire comfortably, unless something changes soon.