This is a very interesting take on the ongoing 401k debate. I agree that some of the investment vehicles and programs created to ease the hassle of investing your retirement plan are flawed, however I think at some point it is our responsibilty as employees to take our investments into our own hands. Employers can only do so much to help their employees set up and invest in their retirement plans.

You mentioned that the most troubling part of simplified solutions, such as TD funds and automatic enrollment, is that it ignores the employees who wish to take a more active role in managing their plans. I don't think these services were set up with this employee in mind. At some point I think the responsibility of actively managing your own investments lies with the individual. There are an infinite amount of resources available to the public these days to give individuals the information they need to make informed investment decisions. If one doesn't hold themselves accountable to learn about investing on their own, then maybe the Target Date Funds is their best option for retirement. Why place this additional responsibility on the employer?