Plan sponsors are seeking more personalized solutions to encourage workers to stick with their 401k provider after they leave the workforce.
In PIMCO’s just released Annual Defined Contribution Consulting Study, about 80% of aggregators and 65% of large institutional consultants recommend personalizing retirement offerings for their clients who provide individual retirement plans. Additionally, 76% of plan sponsors prefer to retain retiree assets, up from less than half in 2015.
Finding ways to retain retiree assets found that flexibility in income distribution, adding retirement education/tools and communicating the value of staying in plan, were among the top recommendations from those surveyed. And while most plan sponsors prefer to retain retiree assets in the plan, the respondents diverged on recommended retirement income solutions. Institutional consultants prefer target-date funds (TDF) with regular level payout, whereas aggregators prefer managed accounts as a retirement income solution.
TDFs remain popular, ESG on the rise
TDFs remain a popular choice garnering a “near-unanimous” recommended default option, with all consultants and advisors surveyed ranking it as their top pick. Two-thirds of institutional consultants and advisors said reviewing TDFs was a top priority, indicating they are keeping a close eye on fees and performance.
Institutional consultants and aggregators are also recommending TDFs that blend active and passive management styles more.in most plan size segments.
Interest in non-traditional defined contribution investments also increased. Over 80% of consultants surveyed consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) when selecting investment options. In addition, one-third of consultants believe private investments benefit all clients’ multi-asset portfolios; direct real estate, private equity and private credit receive highest consideration. ESG remains a solid contender when selecting investment options, emerging as a top three concern among plan sponsors.
“A generational shift in how Americans plan for retirement is creating demand for a more dynamic approach to saving and technological advances have made solutions tailored to plan participants’ specific circumstances much more accessible to the broader public,” said Rene Martel, Managing Director and PIMCO’s Head of Retirement.
Published results were based on responses from firms with more than $10 billion in defined contribution assets under management.
Lynn Brackpool Giles is a contributing editor to 401(k) Specialist. Giles is a former Managing Director of Communications and Consumer Services for the Financial Planning Association (FPA), where she oversaw all corporate, legislative, and consumer communications. In her current journalistic practice, she is a frequent contributor to numerous financial services industry publications.