To be successful, plan sponsors must address a few key questions about their plans:
With clear objectives, regular measurement and strategic adjustments, a plan sponsor has the tools to influence participant outcomes.
Focus on three key metrics and action steps to gauge your plan’s success. Note that each plan should develop its own set of goals.
1. Participation rate
Strive for 100% participation. Reach for this by auto-enrolling:
2. Savings rate
Consider setting a savings goal, such as 15% of compensation. Note the percentage of employees who fall below this goal, and examine savings rates from multiple angles, such as:
Consider tactics that could increase rates, such as:
3. Investment results
Determine whether participants have results comparable to those of the plan’s qualified default investment alternative (QDIA). Evaluate both the average results for participants and differences among demographics.
Seek to improve results by:
For the defined contribution system to be a complete retirement program, it needs to address both the saving and spending phases of retirement. Keeping retirees in the plan can be a win-win for both sponsors and retirees.
Retirees benefit from continued access to low-cost investment options as well as fiduciary oversight. Sponsors benefit from the boost in plan assets and therefore economies of scale.
Support keeping retirees in the plan by:
To help oversee implementation and measurement, plan sponsors can partner with outside consultants or financial professionals on the plan design and investment menu issues.
Filling in the gap between where the plan is now and where the sponsor wants it to be involves constant measurement and continuous improvement. If the plan falls short of its initial success objectives, sponsors may want to take additional steps to make it stronger. These should then be measured — repeatedly and regularly.
Concerns about participant retirement readiness have driven many plans to take steps such as offering participant education to improve decision-making. The results of such efforts are mixed, because they rely on participant action.
Instead, plan sponsors can help improve participant outcomes by focusing on the things they themselves control.
Practice Management
Regulation & Legislation
Defined Contribution
Retirement Income
RELATED INSIGHTS
Practice Management
Defined Contribution
Defined Contribution
The Capital Ideas newsletter delivers weekly investment insights straight to your inbox.
Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value.
Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.
Statements attributed to an individual represent the opinions of that individual as of the date published and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Capital Group or its affiliates. This information is intended to highlight issues and should not be considered advice, an endorsement or a recommendation.
All Capital Group trademarks mentioned are owned by The Capital Group Companies, Inc., an affiliated company or fund. All other company and product names mentioned are the property of their respective companies.
Use of this website is intended for U.S. residents only. Use of this website and materials is also subject to approval by your home office.
American Funds Distributors, Inc.
This content, developed by Capital Group, home of American Funds, should not be used as a primary basis for investment decisions and is not intended to serve as impartial investment or fiduciary advice.