Tag: target-date fund

With some riders, participants can enjoy the upside of the market with downside protection.

Stable value funds took in 64% of the inflows and money market funds, 24%, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index.

The investment firm will be shifting all of its focus to its CIT target-date series.

In 2016, the average plan offered 27 investment options, according to a report from BrightScope and ICI. 

At year-end 2018, 66% of new plan entrants were enrolled via automatic enrollment.

This is driving providers to offer inexpensive options, such as series that rely on CITs and passive funds, Morningstar says.

Fidelity analyzed the balances of those who remained invested in their 401(k) in the decade following the Great Recession of 2008 and found that the balances went from $52,600 to $297,700.

And the use of 401(k) loans fell to a nine-year low of 22.5% in 2018, according to T. Rowe Price’s annual participant data benchmarking report.

Employers are offering this assistance in a variety of ways, including managed accounts, target-date funds and investment advice, according to PSCA.

While automatic enrollment gets participants into plans, a sizable segment are starting their average contributions at a minimum 3.3% rate and failing to take any additional action to increase that, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

In addition, a person invested in a stable value fund versus someone invested in a target-date fund could end up with a balance as much as 59% lower, BlackRock says.

Nearly half of workers feel confident about their retirement prospects, an AllianceBernstein survey found.

Cerulli says retirement specialist advisers are becoming more knowledgeable about and comfortable with CITs, and the research firm expects CITs will continue to expand their share of 401(k) plan assets.

Fifty-two percent think they will be able to retire at their ideal retirement age, and 52% say they either somewhat or strongly agree that their savings will last throughout their lifetime.

This is despite having lived through two bear markets.

With many Boomers retiring, the research firm says the industry is at “an inflection point.”