DCIIA offers insights regarding lifetime income (LTI) solutions as a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) based primarily on the collective input of DCIIA members and plan sponsors as compiled in two surveys conducted by DCIIA in May/June 2018.

The second installment in DCIIA's "Design Matters" series, this white paper focuses on plan distribution options and how sponsors' decisions around withdrawal strategies can directly shape participants' retirement outcomes. It highlights flexible distribution approaches such as partial withdrawals, partial annuitization, and installment payments as tools for helping participants convert account balances into sustainable income streams.

DCIIA believes that one of the primary roles of a DC plan should be to create adequate retirement income for the plan’s participants. This paper covers topics including:Common distribution practices today Reconsidering and updating plan objectives and design Retiree-friendly distribution programs Educating participants about their retirement choices

At its annual Membership Board Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, DCIIA elected its Executive Committee for the 2018-2019 term, with David Musto of Ascensus serving as Chair and Mary Beth Glotzbach of Franklin Templeton Investments as Vice Chair. The release includes the full roster of committee and at-large members across DCIIA's standing committees.

DCIIA announced two significant senior hires to support its organizational growth: Peg Knox, joining as Chief Operating Officer with a background as global retirement plans manager at Bechtel Global Corporation, and Warren Cormier, joining as inaugural Executive Director of the newly launched DCIIA Retirement Research Center, bringing over 25 years of financial services research experience and co-founding credentials from the Behavioral Finance Forum.

Results from DCIIA's fourth biennial plan sponsor survey show that over 60% of surveyed plans have implemented auto enrollment and half have implemented auto escalation, with adoption rates notably higher among larger plans. The release highlights declining opt-out rates, rising default contribution rates, and growing recognition among smaller plan sponsors of the retirement security benefits that auto features deliver.

Auto Features Continue to Grow in Popularity

DCIIA has leveraged member expertise to prepare a comprehensive overview that represents input from our diverse membership base -- asset managers, consultants, recordkeepers, and more.

Drawing on EBRI's national retirement savings database, DCIIA released "Design Matters: The Influence of Plan Design on Retirement Outcomes," a fact-based assessment of how plan design choices affect retirement readiness among American workers. Key findings highlight the significant positive impact of automatic enrollment and escalation features, the value of limiting asset leakage through loans and hardship withdrawals, and the particular vulnerability of older workers who did not benefit from these features earlier in their careers.