A defined contribution pension plan designed to benefit you and your employees
Implementing a defined contribution pension strategy
A defined contribution (DC) plan aims to minimise a firm’s exposure to the pension risk, long-term financial uncertainty and volatility that are inherent in traditional defined benefit (DB) plans. However, DC plans can be complex and burdensome, and bring new risks and responsibilities. As well as investments, employers need to consider governance, risk, member engagement and retirement readiness.
Building your optimal strategy starts with design and implementation and then involves managing or outsourcing the delivery of a plan that aligns your organisational objectives with workforce demographics. To maximise the return on your time, effort and contributions made to the plan, it's important for employers to optimise retirement outcomes for employees. Engaging tools could help employees model their retirement outcomes according to changes in investment strategy, retirement age and contribution rates.
Investment responsibilities of defined contribution pension plan providers
Building an optimal defined contribution strategy
- Do you have access to robust investment research?
We continually investigate, test and monitor investment managers and products, around the world, to provide you with the most up-to-date information and ideas.
- Have you sought advice from an investment professional?
Whether you want to streamline your plan or determine the right investment strategies to adopt, we can provide sound advice and guidance to help you optimise what you offer your employees and navigate the global provider landscape.
- Have you considered third-party solutions?
We can help you reduce the management and compliance burden associated with running your own self-administered plan, which could involve moving elements of managing the plan to third party packaged solutions tailored to your organisation, and employees.
Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2022
Defined contribution pension plan solutions
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Master Trust
We offer master trust solutions in Australia, the UK, and Ireland and collaborate with Equiom Fiduciary Services (Middle East) Limited in the UAE by providing investment advisory and solutions and with Alexander Forbes in South Africa by providing investment solutions. -
Mercer Wise 401(k)
A fully outsourced retirement plan solution that seeks to reduce the complexities, costs and fiduciary risk associated with managing a defined contribution plan. Mercer acts as a named fiduciary responsible for the operation and investments for the plan. We offer the 401(k) in the United States. -
Mercer Wise PEP
A pooled employer plan that seeks to lower plan costs, improve access to innovative investment management, and transfer administrative and fiduciary burdens to a third party. We can help you evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks and determine the best vehicle for you. We offer Mercer Wise PEP in the United States.
How outsourcing your commitments could help you
achieve your goals
A growing number of employers are choosing to work with specialist investment providers to help them manage their defined contribution (DC) pension commitments. While this approach has many names around the world – outsourced CIO, OCIO, delegated solutions, fiduciary management – the aim is the same: to offer solutions that enable plan providers to meet their goals more efficiently.
Through an outsourced model, employers and other providers maintain control over the critical decisions, such as strategy, plan design and asset allocation, leaving the technical and tactical tasks, including investment manager selection and monitoring, due diligence and oversight, to a third-party specialist like Mercer. We offer a range of outsourced pension and retirement solutions tailored to our client needs all around the world. Contact us to find out more.
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