RESEARCH | May 7, 2025

2025
PLANADVISER Adviser Value Survey

The 2025 PLANADVISER Adviser Value Survey reveals that plan sponsors and participants benefit when an adviser is involved.

Reported by PLANADVISER

Plan Design

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Survey Data: Plan Design

Plan Design

Automatic Enrollment Offered
	With adviser*	Without adviser
Yes	56.7%	36.9%
No	42.9%	61.4%
Unsure	0.3%	1.7%

Automatic Escalation–or Automatic Deferral Increases–Offered
	With adviser*	Without adviser
Yes, auto-escalation on enrollment	33.7%	22.1%
Yes, voluntary—must opt into auto-escalation	14.2%	21.5%
No	51.0%	51.2%
Unsure	1.0%	5.2%

‘True-Up’ Provision Offered^†
	With adviser	Without adviser*
Yes	31.3%	21.1%
No	41.2%	55.8%
Unsure	27.5%	23.2%

Options Offered to Help Participants Create or Manage Retirement Income
	With adviser	Without adviser
Systematic withdrawal plan (SWP)	55.6%	64.6%
In-plan insurance-based products that guarantee income	14.4%	44.3%
In-Plan managed account service	48.0%	53.6%
In-Plan managed payout fund(s) designed to generate steady cash flow, but which lacks a guarantee	6.4%	3.1%
Out-of-plan annuity purchase or bidding service	14.7%	40.2%
NONE - do not offer any income-oriented products	28.7%	27.9%

Footnote:
^*Numbers do not add up to 100% due to rounding errors
^†A true-up match can be used to restore matching contributions “lost” when an employee reaches the annual contribution limit prior to year-end and thus foregoes the opportunity to make additional contributions that would have otherwise been matched. In such situations, a plan may elect to “true-up” the employer matching contribution.