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Nonqualified retirement sponsors focus on employee experience and mitigating risk

Findings from the Nonqualified Retirement Benefit Survey

August 24, 2023

Nonqualified plans continue to play a key role for employers as they remain focused on attraction and retention of talent and enhancing their communication program.
Retirement|Employee Experience
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Nonqualified retirement sponsors focus on employee experience and mitigating risk
Nonqualified retirement sponsors focus on employee experience and mitigating risk

Nonqualified plans play a key role in attracting and retaining talent

Top 3 reasons for offering defined contribution (DC) and defined benefit (DB) nonqualified (NQ) plans
  Ranked 1 Ranked 2 Ranked 3
Attraction/Retention of key talent 37% 25% 22%
Have a competitive benefit package 20% 41% 23%
Provide avenue for eligible employees to accumulate wealth (in addition to qualified plan[s]) 27% 19% 28%

Sponsors eye changes to NQ plans with focus on improving participant experience

55% of sponsors have changed or plan to make changes to their NQDB plan

 
Key changes

Improve participant experience (e.g., communication, education)

  • 15% completed in the last 2 years
  • 11% planning for 2023
  • 15% considering for 2024

Change administration providers

  • 20% completed in the last 2 years
  • 4% considering for 2024

Close plan to new entrants

  • 12% completed in the last 2 years

Freeze accruals

  • 8% completed in the last 2 years
  • 5% considering for 2024

75% of sponsors have changed or plan to make changes to their NQDC plan

 
Key changes

Improve participant experience (e.g., communication, education)

  • 27% completed in the past two years
  • 20% planning for 2023
  • 26% considering for 2024

Change investment menu

  • 20% completed in the past two years
  • 8% planning for 2023
  • 12% considering for 2024

Change eligibility

  • 16% completed in the past two years
  • 9% considering for 2024

Change administration providers

  • 11% completed in the past two years
  • 15% considering for 2024

NQ plan sponsors look to enhance employee experience

Sponsors plan to improve communication and education to maximize the value and employees’ understanding of their plans, particularly NQDC plans.

Actions to enhance the employee experience in the next one to two years
  Communication Education Financial consulting
NQDB plan sponsors 29% 29% 16%
NQDC plan sponsors 52% 47% 28%

Funding of NQ plans is more prevalent, and the vehicle to do so has changed

 

60% of NQDC and 47% of NQDB plan sponsors informally fund their plan

 
Reasons to fund
  NQDB NQDC
Source of cash for participants’ distribution 69% 63%
Perceived benefit for participants 54% 58%
Mitigate market volatility 48% 52%

Mutual funds are the most prevalent funding vehicle, surpassing corporate-owned life insurance (COLI)
  NQDB NQDC
Mutual funds 43% 60%
COLI 33% 27%

Actions to take now!

  • Assess the role your NQ retirement plan(s) can play to help attract and retain key talent.
  • Consider how your organization can enhance its employee experience to help maximize the value of the NQ plan(s).
  • Understand whether your NQ plan is competitive and what design features are best practice.
  • Review your NQ plan financing strategy in light of current market conditions.
  • Keep on top of ongoing NQ plan compliance needs.
 
Related content tags, list of links Infographic Retirement Employee Experience
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