What kind of a retirement plan will George Jetson enjoy at Spacely Sprockets? It’s a question Transamerica Retirement Solutions attempts to answer with a look at the future of 401(k)s.
The firm’s latest study, “Prescience 2019: Expert Opinions on the Future of Retirement Plans,” predicts that an increasing number will automatically enroll participants at higher default contribution rates over the next few years to help them better prepare for retirement.
Moreover, they will rely more and more on mobile applications to communicate with participants, especially as the workplace becomes increasingly fragmented due to a rise in people who work at home, in remote locations or for themselves.
Retirement Assets Expected to Grow 40 Percent to $35 Trillion
Over the next few years, assets invested in retirement plans could grow to $35 trillion, up 40 percent. This is due, in part, to anticipated system and product improvements, as well as increased participation. For instance, more than 75 percent of small private employers (50-100 employees) will have defined contribution coverage, up 12 percent from current levels, according to the survey.
Plan sponsors will also concentrate more on plan design and less on participant education to increase participation and raise deferral levels. Results indicated:
- 95 percent of experts who participated in the survey anticipate that 55 percent of plan sponsors will be using automatic enrollment by 2019.
- 74 percent say that 45 percent of plan sponsors will default participants into their plans at a contribution rate of 6 percent or higher. In the past, many plans were defaulting participants in at lower rates (from 2 to 4 percent) – rates insufficient to support a successful retirement.
- 79 percent say that nearly all retirement plan providers will send participants alerts about their state of retirement readiness.
- 92 percent anticipate that most retirement plan providers will offer a service that shows whether participants are on course to reach a funded retirement.
The survey measures perspectives from 60 industry experts, including trade groups, research organizations, consulting firms, academic institutions, financial professionals, investment management firms, service providers and trade media.
“While plan sponsors are still focused on increasing participation in retirement plans by their employees, they are also looking for ways to increase contribution rates participants need to achieve a successful retirement,” Wendy Daniels, senior vice president of retirement marketing for Transamerica Retirement Solutions, said in a statement. “And an expanded and more sophisticated use of mobile applications will help overcome communications challenges brought on by an increasingly dispersed workplace and also help participants manage their retirement funds more effectively.”
Mobile Technology Will Help Overcome Communication Challenges
While plan sponsors ramp up efforts to increase enrollment and deferral levels, they will face the challenges of America’s increasingly dispersed workplace. The number of home-based and mobile employees is expected to rise about 20 percent to 18 million by 2019, according to the majority (86 percent) of experts. One in 10 workers will be self-employed, and there will be a surge in independent contractors as well, the experts predicted. Retirement plan providers will continue to struggle with the stagnation and even decline of traditional employment, forcing them to reach workers through new channels other than traditional in-office employee meetings.
One of the most promising channels is mobile technology, one of a variety of technologies that will be used to keep participants aware of the level of their retirement readiness. Nearly all plan sponsors will send participants mobile alerts about the state of their retirement readiness, most of the respondents agreed.
In addition, a variety of forces will prompt providers to make their web sites more accessible by handheld devices, developing applications that will allow participants to access their retirement accounts through any mobile device. By 2019, nearly all retirement plan providers will offer apps and increased functionality for mobile devices, according to 86 percent of the respondents.
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
