The average 401(k) balance rose 17 per cent last year to $112,300 from the end of 2018, according to a review of 17.3 million accounts by Fidelity Investments. The average individual retirement account, or IRA, balance rose the same percentage to $115,400. Those figures are averages, not medians, and the typical 401(k) might be closer […]
In the world of defined contribution pensions, a plan’s investment menu is important because members’ choices are constrained by the funds that are available. And, while some may think it’s sufficient to use a third-party advisor for a DC plan, new research out of the University of Missouri suggested otherwise. The new paper, which will […]
For the fourth consecutive year, reviewing fees is the most important step defined contribution plan sponsors are taking to improve their fiduciary positions, with fees identified as the main priority for 2020, according to a new survey by U.S.-based investment consulting firm Callan. “With the amount of fee-related project work we see, it’s not surprising […]
The term outsourced chief investment officer, or OCIO, describes a service offering or model, where an institutional investor delegates certain decision-making responsibilities to a third-party provider. Once the investor makes the original delegation, the OCIO provider makes ongoing decisions related to the investment and administration of the plan, within agreed upon parameters. Initially the OCIO […]
In a world increasingly moving to defined contribution pension plans, an effective default fund is key since many workers won’t make active decisions about the fund that’s right for them. But default funds can take many forms and some may be more effective than others. A new paper suggests that a default fund investment model […]
A professor of finance at York University has developed a new tool to help people who are saving for retirement through multiple vehicles ensure that when looking at their portfolios in total these are well-diversified. The tool, Wealthscope, was developed by Pauline Shum Nolan, who is also a member of the university pension fund’s investment […]
Traditionally, defined contribution pension funds have not made significant use of venture capital, although over the long-term these assets have tended to perform well. A study by the British Business Bank and Oliver Wyman explored whether there is room for venture capital and growth equity within the U.K.’s DC schemes. It found that the average […]
While target-date funds are intended to be used as a singular option in capital accumulation plans, many defined contribution plan members use them in conjunction with other investments, according to research from Morningstar. The report noted there are potentially more than 10 million DC participants in both TDFs and other plan investments. “While combining target-date […]
At the start of April, the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index started including Chinese bonds. “Adding China to a benchmark global bond index – with two more global indexes likely to follow suit – will attract many investors to China’s domestic bond market, some for the first time,” said Kenneth Ho, managing director and head of Asia credit strategy […]
With the industry focused on retirement readiness and more defined contribution plan members on glide paths, it’s increasingly important for plan sponsors to choose default investment funds suited to the present and future. Fortunately, these funds have been shifting away from their conservative roots. Money market funds, for instance, were once a common default in […]