Aon reports today that its Pooled Employer Plan—Aon PEP—has reached $2 billion in 401(k) assets under administration and commitments since its inception in 2021 and has doubled during the last year.
The Aon PEP—launched on the first day they became legal (Jan. 1, 2021)—now has more than 70 employers providing 401(k) benefits to over 50,000 employees. Participating employers reflect a diverse mix of industries, including biotech and life sciences, manufacturing, services, consumer products, energy, technology, and transportation. Large brand name organizations also are utilizing the Aon PEP for merger and acquisition activities and other corporate transactions, the company said in a Nov. 28 press release.
“We expect more than half of U.S. employers to merge their traditional 401(k)s into pooled employer plans by 2030.”
Rick Jones, Aon Wealth Solutions
“Participants are benefiting from a higher performing, more efficient 401(k) program, with employees able to accumulate up to 11% more retirement savings during their career due to lower fees,*” said Rick Jones, senior partner in Aon’s Wealth Solutions. “The advantages of switching to a pooled employer plan—potentially half the cost, reduced time commitment from corporate staff, improved governance and high-quality retirement planning options—have become substantial for employers and their employees. We expect more than half of U.S. employers to merge their traditional 401(k)s into pooled employer plans by 2030.”
Within the Aon PEP, “all-in” participant fees can be less than half of those paid in traditional 401(k)s according to data from BrightScope and current Aon PEP costs. The combined scale in PEPs help lower plan costs, including recordkeeping and investment management fees. Beneficiaries also have easier access to investment tools and education services to better prepare for retirement.
From the employer perspective, pooled employer plans reduce staff time and resources dedicated to plan management, compliance and governance. PEPs may also potentially reduce fiduciary risks for employers and provide high-quality retirement planning for beneficiaries.
“Moving to a pooled employer plan is the future of 401(k) benefits,” said Rick Harman, vice president of total rewards and HR operations for ID.me. “Transition to the Aon PEP has helped our company provide a 401(k) plan that is more efficient, compliant and beneficial for employees, who now better understand their investments and are having a better experience saving for retirement.”
“The Aon PEP offers the chance to advance retirement security for workers and build a more resilient workforce across the U.S.,” said Byron Beebe, senior partner in Chicago-based Aon’s Wealth Solutions. “It provides efficiency and scale while maintaining individual employer autonomy to define matching and other contribution levels, vesting rules and other key plan design features.”
*The performance modeling shows a hypothetical employee participating in the Aon PEP would save $1,347,000 throughout their career compared to $1,210,000 for a worker in a traditional 401(k) with higher fees. It assumes a 25-year-old employee with $50,000 starting salary, $3,000 starting account balance, 4% annual pay increases, age 67 retirement, 3% initial savings rate with auto-escalation to 10%, invested in a diversified S&P through target date fund, and employer matching 100% on first 3% and 50% on next 2%. Income improvement in the Aon PEP assumes a 25 basis points reduction in participant fees and the same modeling parameters.
SEE ALSO:
• Aon PEP Hits $1 Billion in Plan Assets and Commitments
• How Deep is the 401k PEP Pool?
Veteran financial services industry journalist Brian Anderson joined 401(k) Specialist as Managing Editor in January 2019. He has led editorial content for a variety of well-known properties including Insurance Forums, Life Insurance Selling, National Underwriter Life & Health, and Senior Market Advisor. He has always maintained a focus on providing readers with timely, useful information intended to help them build their business.
