Employers have noticed an increase in 401(k) investment advice from employees as well as requests for help with managing debt and creating a budget.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said employee requests for 401(k) advice have increased since September 2008 and 39% said that employee requests for broader financial education, such as budgeting and debt management, have increased during the same time period, according to a survey released today from Charles Schwab and CFO Research Services of 219 senior finance and human resource executives.

When asked about the importance of different 401(k) plan features, 87% of employers said that offering 401(k) investment advice was important to their company's retirement plan, which was second in importance to offering a company matching contribution (96%). One quarter (25%) are already offering more individualized 401(k) advice to employees in place of broader 401(k) education campaigns, educational brochures and workplace group meetings, according to the survey.