The ultimate guidebook for navigating the new world of pensions and retirement plans In the wake of the explosive growth of defined contribution (DC) plans invested with target date strategies, and the understanding of how important these strategies can be in effectively meeting retirement income goals, plan sponsors are seeking more optimal target date approaches. This timely book provides you with in-depth answers from the nation's most qualified and experienced experts to pressing questions about DC plan design. Presents the views of individuals from all across the market - Includes a broad range of plan sponsors both in the corporate world and in the public/government sectors - Offers views from consultants and advisors from the most respected firms, academics who teach at leading universities, and other innovative leaders With a broad range of knowledge and insight, Designing Successful Target Date Strategies in Defined Contribution Plans helps you understand the evolution of DC plans, pulls together all angles of what it takes to develop custom target date strategies, and provides you with a look ahead to the future. "...the book is chock-full of interviews with more than 55 experts including consultants, plan executives, academics, financial planners, lawyers and others." ( Pensions & Investments , April 5, 2010) Over the last decade, there has been a revolution in the way that retirement plans have been conceptualized and set up in America. Defined contribution (DC) retirement savings plans have rapidly become many organizations' sole sponsored retirement vehicle, providing participants a primary source of retirement savings beyond Social Security. With the amount of money going into these plans―over $3 trillion in assets―increasingly being invested in target-date retirement strategies, investment managers, consultants, advisors, record keepers, and many others are wisely clamoring to capture these assets and generate other significant business from these game-changing entrants. Taking a closer look at target-date strategies from all angles, Designing Successful Target-Date Strategies for Defined Contribution Plans provides you with the support you need to design best-in-class target-date strategies for DC plans. Practical and detailed, this thorough book considers the current relevant trends in plan design with coverage of: The expertise of many of the nation's leading consultants, legal experts, plan sponsors, academics, and others - Various perspectives and innovative approaches to designing optimal DC plans - The history of the development and restructuring of retirement plans in America, especially in light of the Pension Protection Act and recent regulations Written by Stacy Schaus, a renowned defined contribution business leader who deals with these issues on a daily basis, this book explains it all, from the evolution of DC plans and design trends, including the development of target-date strategies, to the benefits of building rather than buying an off-the-shelf product, as well as all you need to know to set up your own custom strategies. This nuts-and-bolts book is designed to help you build a successful retirement program that will help manage risk and ultimately foster a dignified and secure financial future for employees of corporations, not-for-profits, governments, and for yourself as well. Your nuts-and-bolts road map to understanding how to create custom target-date strategies One of the hottest investment products of the past few years, target-date retirement funds have taken hold in the world of 401(k) and other defined contribution plans, forcing you, as a plan administrator or sponsor, to rethink your program. Written by one of the nation's most qualified and experienced experts in the field, Designing Successful Target-Date Strategies for Defined Contribution Plans gives you the detailed answers you need to your questions about defined contribution plan design and building custom target-date strategies, with in-depth coverage of: Defined contribution plans in the American retirement system - Evolving DC plan design - Target-date strategies: packaged versus custom - Legal and fiduciary considerations - Recordkeeping and trust setup - Communication issues - Evaluating costs - Glide path design - Asset classes and alternatives - Protecting DC assets - Benchmarking - Advice and retirement planning - Retirement income and guarantees Since target-date strategies place participants on "autopilot," you need to take a good, long look at what you offer so you can confirm that participants will arrive at the right destination. Designing Successful Target-Date Strategies¿for Defined Contribution Plans demystifies the often daunting and confusing task of understanding these retirement investments, with sound advice from experts across the industry on the best way to design your own asset allocation, keep plan fees at the lowest possible level, and help protect both plan particip