Rob Austin | Source | Head of Thought Leadership at Alight Solutions
Rob Austin
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Alight Solutions (https://alight.com/)
Head of Thought Leadership
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401 (k) Investors Flocked To Bond and Money Market Funds In September
Investors shifted their retirement portfolios out of stocks and into bonds in September, opting for more conservative investments over riskier ones.
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With Election Nearing, How Should Plan Sponsors Communicate With Participants? | PLANSPONSOR
As uncertainty looms ahead of the upcoming presidential election, many expect volatility in the stock market.
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Market Volatility Drives Shift to Safer Investments
Rob notes significant inflows into Stable Value and Bond funds, with outflows from Large-cap US equities and Target Date Funds. He observes, "This trend indicates a preference for safer, fixed-income investments over equities." Rob advises increasing fixed-income allocations, reflecting cautious investor sentiment amid market volatility.
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“People who don’t understand their benefits and who don’t use their benefits are the most likely to be disengaged and the most likely to say they’re going to leave their employer. When you’re spending on ramping people up, you’re not necessarily getting the dividends at the front end. By its very nature, the 401(k) plan is filled with jargon, so you have to make it more approachable. Sometimes, [lower-income workers] are the first savers out of generations in their families, so the 401(k) vocabulary may not be something they understand."