Innovation On The Horizon
Despite years of incremental progress and limited adoption, recent evolution of the defined contribution industry’s service providers may serve as a key catalyst for adoption of new and innovative solutions in the years to come. Given the significant challenges participants face in saving for retirement, service providers have begun to offer additional strategies that provide personalized advice, improved participant engagement, and both guaranteed and non-guaranteed retirement income solutions.
This report provides a deep dive into the industry innovations initially outlined in Defined Contribution Trends 2025.
Innovation in Investments, Education and Advice, and Plan Design
Investment Trends
- Personalized Investing: Both personalized target date funds and managed accounts expanding the use of personalized solutions.
- Retirement Income Solutions: As new products come to market in this space, it may be helpful to communicate a clear framework sponsors and participants may want to consider as they evaluate a personalized retirement income strategy that suits the individual’s particular circumstances.
- Private Market Growth and Innovation: Some plan sponsors are considering the potential incorporation of these asset classes as part of multi-asset sleeves in defined contribution plans.
- Stable Value Innovation: Capital preservation with enhanced returns and mitigated volatility via multi-asset portfolios may be new areas of focus for this asset class.
Education and Advice Trends
- Integration of Education and Advice: Technology improvements may lower the cost of delivering personalized education and advice.
- Offering Personalized Planning to All: Personalized planning may improve retirement outcomes and could help to close the advice gap for plan participants.
- Artificial Intelligence Introduction for the Retirement Industry: Early-stage growth and potential adoption of Generative AI tools brings both optimism and concern. Plan sponsors should be aware of any impact on (i) data use and cybersecurity, (ii) regulatory compliance, and (iii) participant engagement.
Plan Design Trends
- Personalization and Flexibility in Plan Design: Emergency savings and student loan matching highlight an increase in flexible plan design options available.
- Plan Default Reconsideration: While many in the industry consider plan defaults a major success story, new data on participant decisions following their investment in the default option are driving conversations on how to further improve these defaults.
- Pooled Employer Plans: Approved in SECURE Act and launched in 2021, PEPs continue to gain traction, particularly in small to mid-size plans, and as a new part of the industry, may offer a range of new capabilities to smaller market participants.
For more insight into the four other macro trends that may change the shape of the defined contribution industry over the next decade, read Defined Contribution Trends 2025.

