401(k) Student-Loan Match Gains Foothold in Corporate America

For James Bryant, it’s been difficult balancing student loans with life and saving for retirement.

His employer, Verizon Communications Inc. offers a 401(k) match, worth up to 6% of his salary. But between his loans, living expenses and the money he sends his parents, the 37 year old hasn’t always saved enough to get the full match since he started in 2016.

“There have been times I didn’t take full advantage of the match,” said Bryant, a senior call-center manager, who graduated from Hartwick College in 2008 with about $75,000 in debt. “My parents probably didn’t save the way they should’ve throughout their lives, ...