Enhance DC Plans With Account Guarantees

The recent economic downturn revealed a real problem in the array of investment choices in most defined contribution plans. Fortunately, solutions are readily at hand.

The problem is that a major reduction in account balances just before retirement can endanger financial security. If the retiree is forced to withdraw assets when the market is down and then rely on accumulations to replace income formerly earned from employment, the portfolio can be seriously impaired.

Put another way: When accumulating for retirement, it is great to buy low. But when forced to take income to pay the bills in retirement, it is damaging to sell low.

The hit that pre-retirees took in the recent downturn is substantial. On average, investors within 5 years of retirement lost considerable sums of money, and those in 2010 target date funds did not fare better.

Large market declines cannot be unexpected. After all, since 1900, the United States has had over 30 bear markets. But most defined contribution plans make it very difficult for participants to protect themselves against these regular major declines just when they can least afford them. Participants can, of course, tilt very decidedly to fixed investments in the years prior to retirement. But that means giving up the potential for a lot of return.

Here is an alternative: The plans can offer an annuity with a guaranteed minimum accumulation benefit as an investment option for plan participants. The cost of this guarantee is lower than the cost of an annuity with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. Further, this annuity can be designed to provide cash (not just a guaranteed stream of income) at the projected date of retirement, giving the participant a high degree of flexibility.

It is true that annuities with GLWB can also play a very useful role for plan participants and should be carefully considered. But the focus here is on the annuity with GMAB.

The GMAB structure allows participants to put a significant amount of money in equities, with the chance of higher return, but removes the risk of suffering from a devastating loss of the kind that many retirees are experiencing today.

The insurance and financial services industry has devoted a great deal of discussion to the importance of making several classes of investments available to plan participants so they can design an effective asset allocation. But participants also need to have the chance to design an effective product allocation.

Annuities with the GMAB feature can allow participants to design a portfolio that more accurately provides the desired level of protection, without the “cost” of a heavy tilt toward lower-returning fixed investments.