Risk means different things to different people and describing matching contributions as “free money” may help drive higher savings rates.
These are two of the findings released today by Invesco from a new study focused on the language of defined contribution plans.
The company specifically tested how participants react to various language as it relates to their understanding of, and interest in, key aspects of DC plan design and investments.
Match
Overwhelmingly, when describing the benefit of the company match, personalized language that ties back to a positive, aspirational goal of a comfortable retirement resonated with all ages and can help drive higher contribution rates.
When participants were asked the best reason to take advantage of their employer’s matching contribution, 39 percent preferred “the match is free money,” with 32 percent preferring “the match allows me to invest more in my 401k.”
The term “free money” resonated highest with Gen X, 41 percent.
In contrast, only 23 percent of participants preferred the concept that not contributing enough to take full advantage of the match is like “leaving money on the table.”
When asked how they would prefer their employer communicate benefits of a match, 56 percent preferred the language, “With our company match, we can significantly increase the total amount you can put away,” while 44 percent preferred the language, “The company will match a portion of your contribution each year.”
Target-date funds
Invesco also delved into the language employers (and the industry overall) use to define target-date funds, and what the participant hears and/or understands.
The research uncovered a focus on plain English (versus industry jargon), a positive approach and a sense of personalization are paramount.
When describing target date funds, all ages gravitated to descriptors of an investment that is “managed for you” and designed to help you “achieve your goals.” A personalized approach especially resonated with boomers, who have most likely already experienced various life stages and understand the need to adapt accordingly.
Using personalized language to explain how target-date funds work may help combat their misuse.
Nearly half (48 percent) of survey participants believed the best reason to put their retirement savings in a single target-date fund (versus investing in additional options) was due to the target date funds’ strategy description of balancing growth potential, managing risk tolerance, and adapting to one’s time horizon to retirement.
This description overwhelmingly resonated with all age groups and seemed to best explain the fund’s intent.
The term “glide path,” used by plan sponsors, plan providers, advisors and consultants to discuss target date funds, ranked the lowest at 4 percent of all descriptors understood by participants, with the more specific “risk-reduction path” resonating highest at 40 percent.
Risk
When it comes to target-date funds, 61 percent of participants preferred the more positive phrase, “stay on track to achieve my goals” versus “managing risk.”
When asked which fund they would rather invest in—a target date or target risk fund—both were equally appealing to participants, with 52 percent preferring “a target date fund based on the year I want to retire” versus 48 percent preferring “a target risk fund based on my risk tolerance.”
When asked which do you most want your investments to become? Becoming “more conservative over time” was preferred by all ages, 60 percent, and was much more highly rated by millennials than a portfolio that becomes “less aggressive over time.”