Defaulting Retirement Distributions Out of Defined-Contribution Plans: A Role for Managed-Payout Target-Date Portfolios

Abstract

Default features in defined-contribution plans are designed to improve the retirement security of plan participants. To date, these have focused on the challenge of saving, ignoring the more complex challenge of dissaving. Automatic default provisions for drawing down participant account balances after retirement could be beneficial. Conceptually, the objective is to reframe the Zeitgeist of defined-contribution plans from that of savings plans closer to that of income continuation plans with pension-like features. This could be accommodated though a managed payout feature designed into the plan’s default investment strategy.

Keywords: defined-contribution, plan default options, target-date funds

JEL Classification: D91, G23