Methodology
The 2023 PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey was fielded from October 2023 through November 2023. We received 206 responses to questions about adviser insights on decisionmaking factors regarding investment and recordkeeper selection. Other questions focused on assessments of investment managers, mutual funds and defined contribution plan recordkeepers.
We asked respondents to rate their investment managers on “best overall” service criteria related to investment firms, as well as an “honorable mention,” which was allocated as a half-vote. The mutual fund rankings reflect the total votes of advisers, representing the asset managers home to the most preferred fund families or individual funds they recommend to plan clients.
DC recordkeeper evaluations are based on responses from advisers who personally evaluate and recommend providers to their qualified plan clients. The top-ranking lists reflect the percentage of respondents who, having worked with the recordkeeper, recognized them as having the “best service” in that category. Overall, advisers needed to have worked with a DC plan provider at least once to offer feedback on it. Providers needed 10 qualified plan adviser votes to have a profile listing and needed no fewer than eight votes in the service categories to have their highest rated areas of service listed.
For more information on the data presented, to view additional research or to receive notifications to sign up for the annual PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey, please reach out to the surveys team at surveys@issmediasolutions.com. —Garrett Cox