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Study: Confidence Higher Among Target Date Fund Investors

By Ironwood Retirement Plan Consultants • April 9, 2026
A new survey by Voya Investment Management finds that participants who invest in target date funds (TDFs) feel significantly more confident about their retirement savings than their peers who are not invested in TDFs. When asked whether investing in a TDF makes them feel more confident about making good investment decisions, 95% of employed TDF investors said yes, including 39% who strongly agreed. Among those who don’t invest in TDFs, total agreement dropped to 75%, with only 14% strongly agreeing. The survey found that 71% of employed TDF investors said they feel confident that they’ll reach their retirement goals, compared to 58% of non-TDF investors. Employed TDF investors also report less stress — more than 90% said that investing in a TDF helps reduce the stress of retirement planning. Among those who don’t use TDFs, 73% said the same. Among participants with access to a TDF, 83% of employees and 86% of retirees reported that they chose to invest in it. The top reasons offered for their TDF investment decision include: professional management, ease of use, built-in diversification, and ongoing rebalancing. Sources: https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=503 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7362?loclr=cga-committee https://www.asppa-net.org/news/2026/2/form-5500-more-time-to-comply/ https://www.napa-net.org/news/2026/2/bipartisan-bill-introduced-to-simplify-form-5500-reporting/

How Are Plan Sponsors Measuring Participant Success?

By IRPC • March 26, 2026
The ultimate proof of retirement plan participant success is in the results: whether the participant achieves a financially secure retirement. In the meantime, plan sponsors can look at a variety of metrics to help evaluate and track plan outcomes. The 2025 PLANSPONSOR Defined Contribution Survey identified several of these metrics, summarized below. While not exhaustive, this overview illustrates the range of lenses sponsors use to gauge employee financial wellness and retirement readiness, beyond analysis of plan lineup investment options and performance. Plan Participation & Contribution Behaviors. Participation and savings patterns offer insight into how employees are engaging with their plan and whether contribution behaviors are supporting long-term savings goals. • Plan Participation Rate: Percentage of eligible employees actively contributing to the plan. • Average Deferral Rate: Average percentage of compensation deferred by participants. • Employer Match Utilization Rate: Percentage of participants contributing enough to receive the full employer match. Auto-feature Effectiveness. These are metrics tied to automatic plan features and their influence on participant behavior over time, including retention, savings progression, and inertia effects. • Automatic Enrollment Capture Rate: Percentage of automatically enrolled participants who remain in the plan. • Automatic Enrollment Opt-out Rate: Percentage of automatically enrolled participants who decline participation. • Automatic Escalation Success Rate: Percentage of participants whose contribution rates increase as scheduled. Participant Engagement. Engagement metrics provide insight into whether and how participants are interacting with plan resources, tools, and support channels. • Participant Registration Rate: Percentage of participants registered for online plan access. • Online Engagement Rate: Frequency of participant interaction with plan websites, tools, or planning resources. • Call Center Volume and Participant Inquiry Patterns: Frequency and subject matter of participant inquiries to plan service centers. Financial Wellness and Stress Indicators. These metrics offer context around participants’ broader financial health, highlighting behaviors that may affect long-term savings. • Financial Education Engagement Rate: Participation in advisory sessions or group education programs. • Loan and Hardship Withdrawal Rate: Percentage of participants taking plan loans or hardship distributions. From Metrics to Meaning Plan sponsors have lots of data at their disposal to evaluate plan success. Working with an advisor can help sponsors identify the most relevant data points to track, interpret results in context, and emphasize progress over time rather than relying solely on snapshot comparisons or industry averages — all while remaining aligned with the plan’s overall goals. Sources: https://www.plansponsor.com/surveys/2026-dc-survey-plan-benchmarking/

401 (k) Check-ins Can Help You Stay on Track

By IRPC • March 17, 2026
In many ways, saving through your employer-sponsored retirement plan has never been more convenient. Automatic enrollment, auto-escalating contributions, and target date funds can make saving feel almost effortless by quietly adjusting your contributions and investments over time. While automatic features remain powerful allies in your savings strategy, you may also want to ensure your overall approach to retirement savings reflects any significant life events, like marriage, kids, job and income changes, and shifting financial priorities. Below are some ideas to consider for keeping your savings strategy aligned with your goals as life changes happen. Increase your contributions as your earnings rise. Increase your contribution rate to reflect raises and bonuses, so your long-term savings potential keeps pace with your earnings. Reassess your savings rate as you pay down debt. As credit card balances, personal loans, student debt, or other monthly obligations decline, you may gain added flexibility to increase retirement plan contributions. Contribute enough to maximize your match. If you haven’t reviewed your elections in a while, you could be leaving part of an employer match on the table. Revisit beneficiary designations after major life events. If you experience changes in your marital status, dependents, or other personal circumstances, you may want to adjust your beneficiary elections. Take advantage of catch-up opportunities. For the 2026 tax year, participants aged 50 and older can contribute an additional $8,000 above the standard limit, with higher catch-up amounts — up to $11,250 — available for participants aged 60-63, subject to IRS limits and plan provisions. Retirement planning is a long game, and even small misalignments can compound over time and meaningfully affect your retirement readiness. Decisions made in the final years leading up to retirement can be especially important with less time to course correct. Periodic plan check-ins can go a long way toward keeping your savings strategy aligned with the realities of your life. Even if you’re using a target date fund or your plan’s automatic features, taking the time for quarterly or annual reviews can help you stay on track toward meeting your retirement goals.  Source: https://www.psca.org/news/psca-news/2025/6/automatic-features-have-tripled-in-use-since-2007
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