What if the secret to building a truly successful retirement plan wasn’t about plan features at all—but about culture, intention, and the belief that employees deserve more than the bare minimum? In this episode of The Gap, host Shannon Edwards sits down with Nathan Helms, Controller at Balon Corporation, to explore what happens when a company decides that taking care of people is non-negotiable. With over sixty years of employee-first leadership behind them, Balon has created a retirement plan that has grown from 165 participants to more than 1,100—and Nathan shares firsthand how that transformation was built from the inside out.

Whether you're an employer, advisor, or benefits manager, this conversation gives you an inspiring, practical look at what it means to create real retirement readiness for real people. You’ll hear how intentional design, thoughtful communication, and a deep respect for a diverse workforce can change not only participation rates, but lives. This episode will challenge you, motivate you, and remind you exactly why your role in closing the retirement savings gap matters more than ever. Tune in—because this is what it looks like when an employer gets it right. 

In this episode, Shannon and Nathan Helms discuss: 

• Strategic plan design decisions that drive long-term employee retirement readiness
• Approaches employers use to boost participation and keep employees engaged
• Communication challenges in supporting diverse and multilingual workforces
• Policy and compliance barriers that impact employers’ ability to strengthen retirement benefits

Key Takeaways:

• Implementing automatic enrollment alongside consistent, in-person education sessions significantly increases participation and helps employees understand how to build long-term financial security.
• Designing a plan that combines open-architecture investments, a supportive match structure, and thoughtful guardrails reduces leakage, encourages higher contribution rates, and protects employees from self-sabotage.
• Providing multilingual materials and trusted, in-house translators ensures employees from diverse backgrounds fully understand the plan, leading to stronger engagement and remarkable individual success stories.
• Simplifying compliance correction processes and increasing safe harbor match flexibility would empower more employers to offer meaningful retirement benefits without being overwhelmed by regulatory complexity. 

"Do right by the employee, and they’ll do right by you. You’ll see a lot of success." — Nathan Helms

Connect with Nathan Helms: 

Website: https://www.balon.com/

Connect with Shannon: 

Website: https://www.tristarpension.com/

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonedwardsplanconsultant/