Fidelity Ups International Equity Exposure in Target-Dates

Fidelity Investments is increasing the international equity exposure and adding Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities to its lifecycle funds.

The investment firm today announced it would bump the asset allocation targets in its Freedom Fund product line for international equities to 30% of total equity exposure from about 20%. The increased international exposure will be funded by a reduction in the allocation to domestic equity funds.

“Freedom Fund shareholders to invest in a portfolio that is more reflective of the risks and opportunities presented in an increasingly global economy,”said  Derek L. Young, chief investment officer of the Global Asset Allocation group for Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMRCo).

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

In addition, the company said the Fidelity and Fidelity Advisor Freedom Funds will seek further diversification by investing in two new underlying funds with exposure to dedicated commodities and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS): Fidelity Series Commodity Strategy Fund and Fidelity Series Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund.

The Fidelity Freedom K and Fidelity Freedom Index Funds, offered only to certain retirement plans recordkept by Fidelity, also will feature the higher level of international equity exposure, as well as the dedicated commodities and inflation-protected exposure.

“It’s no secret that inflation erodes a portfolio’s purchasing power, and historically it has been a factor in some major asset classes, such as stocks and bonds, underperforming their historical averages. A notable dimension of commodities is their historical record in providing inflation protection,” said Young. “Adding explicit TIPS exposure can provide a real, inflation-adjusted return as well as additional diversification within the fixed-income asset class.”

Other funds that will see a similar modification in their international equity exposures and the addition of TIPS include the Asset Manager series—including Fidelity, Advisor and VIP versions—and the Fidelity Four-In-One Index Fund.

Lord Abbett Exits Small-401(k) Market

Jersey City, New Jersey-based investment management firm Lord, Abbett & Co. announced Wednesday it is getting out of the small-401(k) market to concentrate on its defined contribution investment-only book of business.

Simultaneously, Lord Abbett and the Hartford announced a plan to transfer assets from the nearly 8,000 bundled small 401(k) plans comprising more than 59,000 participants and more than $1.2 billion in assets from their current Lord Abbett home to Hartford’s platform.
 
Lord Abbett said it would no longer sell any small-market 401(k) plans to clients effective October 1. The decision was the result of a strategic reassessment of its retirement business, Lord Abbett said.
 
According to the news releases, the asset-transfer pact with The Hartford calls for Lord Abbett to enable eligible 401(k) plans to access the Hartford’s lineup of Aviator open-architecture 401(k) products.
 
The Hartford will also waive transfer fees. The offer includes a waiver of all contingent deferred sales charges (CDSCs) on all A- and C-share plans; the waiver of a plan termination fee; and the waiver of a 2010 billing fee for plans that submit account opening paperwork by April 1, 2010.
 
“The Hartford views its retirement plan business as a significant growth opportunity, and we are actively looking to expand our presence in the marketplace,” said Jim Davey, executive vice president of The Hartford’s Investments and Retirement Division. “We are excited about this strategic alliance and the opportunity for us to provide these retirement plan clients access to our products and new investment opportunities.”


«