DC Times
DC INSIGHTS

DC Times

Participant outcomes are driven by 4 key tenets of DC plan management: Plan design, participant engagement, plan governance, and investment strategy.

Subscribe to DC insights

Get the latest updates from DC Times delivered to your inbox as soon as they're available.

Sign up today

Access our featured insights

    • Plan design
      How%20Roth%20401(k)s%20can%20help%20tackle%20taxes%20in%20retirement
      Plan design

      Tackling taxes in retirement with designated Roth accounts

      Find out ways a Roth option in your DC plan helps participants diversify their future tax liability.

    • Plan design
      tackling-student-loan-debt
      Plan design

      Tackling student loan debt

      Employers can help their employees tackle student loan debt by implementing a direct payment program or a SECURE 2.0 student loan retirement matching program.

    • Plan Sponsor Exchange
      Man%20Hiking
      Plan Sponsor Exchange

      How Los Angeles County adapted its participant communications strategy during the pandemic

      Read how Los Angeles County adapted to virtual communications during the pandemic, and the approach they take to encourage employees to stay in the DC plan(s) post retirement.

    • Investment menu design
      Adding%20Value:%20Shining%20a%20spotlight%20on%20large-cap%20value%20strategies
      Investment menu design

      Adding Value: Shining a spotlight on large-cap value strategies

      Recent market volatility has refocused attention on large-cap value strategies to help broaden diversification and strengthen return outcomes for participants.

    • Investment menu design
      The%20real%20deal:%20Evaluating%20real%20assets%20strategies%20for%20DC%20plans
      Investment menu design

      The real deal: Evaluating real assets strategies for DC plans

      Can diversified real assets help participants over the long term? Three questions for plan sponsors to consider.

    • Investment menu design
      Does%20your%20DC%20plan%20have%20a%20mid-cap%20gap
      Investment menu design

      Mind the gap

      DC plan sponsors and their advisors may want to reexamine their mid-cap offerings to help expand on the full potential the asset class offers.

    • Stable Value
      Five%20Key%20Reasons%20to%20Consider%20Invesco%20Stable%20Value
      Stable Value

      Five Key Reasons to Consider Invesco Stable Value

      Invesco’s stable value investment process is focused on managing risk and providing an extremely stable investment experience for participants across a full range of market climates.

    • Plan governance
      Plan governance

      ERISA Litigation Playbook – The best defense is a good offense

      Will the Employee Retirement Income Security Act court cases ever slow down? This actionable checklist can help advisors become more aware of emerging issues.

    • Plan governance
      The%20value%20of%20fiduciary%20liability%20insurance
      Plan governance

      The value of fiduciary liability insurance

      DC plan fiduciaries should take three steps to protect themselves from the high cost of litigation, including obtaining valuable fiduciary liability insurance.

    • Plan governance
      Making%20retirement%20income%20work%20part%204:%20Providing%20education%20and%20advice
      Plan governance

      Making retirement income work part 4: Providing education and advice

      Fred Reish shares his views ways plan sponsors can help participants turn their DC plan savings into a stream of income in retirement.

    • Plan governance
      Making%20retirement%20income%20work%20part%203:%20Combating%20inertia%20with%20auto-enrollment
      Plan governance

      Making retirement income work part 3: Combating inertia with auto-enrollment

      Fred Reish shares his views on adopting an auto-enrollment approach when adding retirement income solutions.

    • Plan governance
      Making%20retirement%20income%20work%20part%20Two
      Plan governance

      Making retirement income work part 2: Following a fiduciary process

      Fred Reish covers the fiduciary process and best practices around in-plan retirement income solutions.

    • Plan governance
      Making%20retirement%20income%20work%20part%20one
      Plan governance

      Making retirement income work part 1: Making decisions

      Fred Reish discusses three steps committees should take when adding retirement income options to their DC plans.

    • Plan governance
      Managed%20accounts%20for%20participants%20and%20fiduciary%20issues
      Plan governance

      Managed accounts for participants and fiduciary issues

      What are the best practices for managed accounts for participants and fiduciary issues?

    • Plan governance
      Tips%20to%20help%20DC%20plan%20committees%20mitigate%20litigation%20risk
      Plan governance

      ERISA litigation playbook part 1: DC plan governance best practices

      DC plan committees can help reduce litigation risk by establishing and following proper plan governance policies and procedures.

    • Plan governance
      What%20the%20latest%20DOL%20ESG%20proposal%20means%20for%20plan%20fiduciaries%20
      Plan governance

      What the latest DOL ESG proposal means for plan fiduciaries

      Learn about the latest US Department of Labor (DOL) environmental, social and governance (ESG) proposed regulation that governs selection of plan investments.

    • Participant engagement
      Shifting%20DC%20times
      Participant engagement

      Getting schooled: Creating a formalized Education Policy Statement

      An education policy statement can help plan sponsors and participants meet the challenges of saving for retirement.

    • Participant engagement
      Across%20the%20generations:%20Participant%20views%20on%20retirement%20income
      Participant engagement

      Across the generations: Participant views on retirement income

      How plan sponsors can help every generation create a more secure retirement.

    • Retirement
      Person%20looking%20at%20laptop%20and%20taking%20notes%20on%20a%20notebook
      Retirement

      Retirement contribution limits and deadlines

      Find important retirement contribution limits and deadlines for small business retirement plans and individual retirement accounts.

    • Participant engagement
      Staying%20in%20plan%20Flyer
      Participant engagement

      Three reasons for retirees to stay in an employer plan

      There are three compelling reasons why retirees may want to consider staying in their employers' plans instead of rolling their assets into an IRA.

    • Participant engagement
      The%20new%20reality:%20Helping%20participants%20combat%20cybercrime
      Participant engagement

      The new cyber reality: Helping participants combat cybercrime

      Learn what steps plan sponsors should take to help participants combat cybercrime and protect their retirement plan savings.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-jumpstart-retirement-income-conversation-now
      Participant research

      DC language study: Start the retirement income conversation

      We share findings from our study to help DC plan sponsors start the retirement income conversation with participants.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-position-target-date-target-risk-funds
      Participant research

      DC language study: Positioning target date/risk funds

      We studied ways to position target risk and target date funds on the investment menu to maximize understanding.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-demystify-investment-menu-with-right-language
      Participant research

      Demystify the investment menu with the right language

      Our 2021 DC language study revealed the importance of language in presenting investment menus.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-executive-summary
      Participant research

      Watch Your Language: Executive Summary

      In our Executive Summary, we summarize key findings from our 2021 DC language study.

    • Participant research
      DC%20retirement%20income%20study:%20Jumpstart%20the%20retirement%20income%20conversation
      Participant research

      Jumpstart the retirement income conversation

      In our research, we found three-quarters of plan participants wanted their plan sponsors to start the retirement income conversation earlier.

    • Participant research
      DC%20retirement%20income%20study:%20Overcoming%20fear%20and%20inertia
      Participant research

      Overcoming fear and inertia

      In our research, we found that a primary financial goal for almost all participants’ DC plan savings was to maintain their pre-retirement lifestyle.

    • Participant research
      DC%20retirement%20income%20study:%20Give%20me%20reliability%20and%20flexibility
      Participant research

      Give me reliability and flexibility

      In our research, we found plan participants wanted the feeling of control with the ability to choose from a range of retirement income solutions.

    • Participant research
      DC%20retirement%20income%20study:%20Bridging%20the%20(income)%20gap
      Participant research

      Bridging the (income) gap

      In our research, we better understand how much money plan participants actually need at and later in retirement to achieve their retirement goals.

    • Participant research
      Show%20me%20the%20income:%20Executive%20Summary
      Participant research

      Show me the income: Executive Summary

      Our retirement income study highlights key findings on the evolving industry as participants seek guidance turning their DC plan savings into income.

    • Participant research
      DC%20retirement%20income%20study:%20Connecting%20savings%20with%20income
      Participant research

      Connecting savings with income

      In our research, we found plan sponsors have a significant opportunity to help participants connect savings to retirement income.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-jumpstart-retirement-income-conversation-now
      Participant research

      DC language study: Start the retirement income conversation

      We share findings from our study to help DC plan sponsors start the retirement income conversation with participants.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-position-target-date-target-risk-funds
      Participant research

      DC language study: Positioning target date/risk funds

      We studied ways to position target risk and target date funds on the investment menu to maximize understanding.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-demystify-investment-menu-with-right-language
      Participant research

      Demystify the investment menu with the right language

      Our 2021 DC language study revealed the importance of language in presenting investment menus.

    • Participant research
      defined-contribution-2021-language-research-study-executive-summary
      Participant research

      Watch Your Language: Executive Summary

      In our Executive Summary, we summarize key findings from our 2021 DC language study.

Participant research

DC insights Participant research

Our ReDefined Contribution Plans Research Series explores topics ranging from how participants make investment decisions to the language we use to communicate retirement plan benefits.

Explore research
success failure

Receive timely insights and news

Receive the latest DC Times insights, research, and regulatory updates.

Receive timely insights and news

To sign up, complete the following form:

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

When you interact with us, we may collect information about you which constitutes personal data under applicable laws and regulations. Our privacy notice explains how we use and protect your personal data.