Successful Defined Contribution Investment Design

Introduction

Today, workers around the globe are increasingly dependent on defined contribution plans to reach their retirement income goals. In the United States, fewer than one in five workers have access to a traditional defined benefit pension program. To retire financially secure, workers need well-designed defined contribution (DC) plans—as most will rely on such plans for at least a third of retirement income. Those who have access to a well-designed plan and are contributing at a sufficient level are likely to succeed. Unfortunately, not all workers are offered a DC plan . . . and plans that are offered may have a less-than-optimal design.

As of 2015, we estimate that only about half of U.S. workers have access to a DC plan; in particular, people working part-time or for small employers often lack plan access. Some countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia have addressed DC plan availability by mandating that employers must offer and enroll employees into such programs. At this writing, we anticipate retirement plan availability will increase in the United States as multiple states and possibly the federal government will roll out compulsory programs or regulatory change to ease the burden of offering plans.

As plans become increasingly available, our hope is they offer an investment structure that places participants on a path to success.

This book is designed to assist plan sponsors and providers to structure investment menus that help participants meet their ...