Pensions & Investments has launched its annual survey of the 1,000 largest retirement plans in the U.S. this week.
P&I has published a special report based on this survey annually since 1974. The data gathered on what has been a tumultuous year with rising rates, high inflation and down markets will inform stories by the staff on the latest trends in defined benefit and defined contribution investing in the Feb. 13, 2023, issue. The latest year will stand in stark contrast to 2021 when assets across the 1,000 largest plan surged by 17%.
Questionnaires are sent to more than 1,300 plan sponsors in P&I's database. The largest 1,000 will be identified in the coming months from completed questionnaires, follow-up phone calls and emails, and database searches.
Plan sponsors with combined U.S. pension and DC plan assets of $1.5 billion or more are eligible. To request a survey or obtain further information, please contact Anthony Scuderi at [email protected] or 212-210-0140, or visit pionline.com/section/surveys.
The survey generally covers the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2022. In cases where no information is provided from the plan sponsor, or the data are older than June 30, 2022, P&I will calculate estimates to Sept. 30.
There are a few new questions this year to reflect emerging trends and areas of interest, including how much defined benefit and defined contribution plans paid in fees to external managers for the most recent plan year. A question about the types of alternative investments in defined benefit plans now has farmland/agriculture as an additional category.
In a question about internally managed DB assets, real estate has been added as a stand-alone category. And lastly, digital assets/cryptocurrency was added as a DC asset category in light of Fidelity Investments offering a bitcoin option to its 401(k) clients.
The report also will continue to build on data introduced in recent years around ESG investing and asset owners' policies and investments with managers owned by women, minorities, the disabled and veterans.
The 2022 report, published in February, is available online at pionline.com/sponsors22.
