Investment Options
The number of investment options offered varied widely from three investment options to approximately 100 different choices. The average number of investment options offered per plan was 15 (similar to the average of 17 investment options reported in the Deloitte 2008 Annual 401(k) Benchmarking Survey).5
With 91% of plans offering them, mutual funds were the most common investment vehicle used by plans. However, when reviewing investment vehicle use by plan size, the Study showed a greater utilization of separate and commingled accounts by larger plans.
Equity (99% of plans) and fixed income (92% of plans) investment options represented the most common asset class types offered among plans within the Survey. The next most common asset class types offered were target date investment options (72% of plans) and guaranteed investment contracts (GICs) and other stable value funds (70% of plans).
Investment Vehicle Use
* Other primarily included Company Stock
Asset Class Use
5 Counts a suite of target date investment options as one investment option.
