Cogent Study Reveals Key Focus of Largest DC Plan Sponsors

Also notable for their ability to convey strength in these areas, the Cogent Survey finds, are broad DC market players T. Rowe Price, Charles Schwab and J.P. Morgan, as well as more specialized firms such as Hewitt Associates, Mercer and ING.

“Mega-plan sponsors represent large organizations, many of [which] have made the difficult decision to cut back on defined benefit pension benefits in recent years,” says Linda York, Cogent’s director of syndicated research in a prepared statement. “As a result, they are more concerned about helping participants reach their goals through the DC plan than their smaller plan counterparts.

“This is not to say that service and support or brand recognition is not important to mega-plan sponsors, but it is clear that participants’ needs trump everything else in this market segment,” she adds.