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Retire with Confidence®

2025 Retirement Market Outlook

Retirement industry at a crossroads

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Introduction

Evolving default investment options. Increasing plan adoption of retirement income solutions. Growing momentum for emergency savings programs. These are the major trends we see influencing the U.S. retirement industry in 2025. What challenges and opportunities will they bring?

Evolution of target date solutions and QDIAs

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What’s happened?

Target date strategies dominate as default plan investments.

• $3.8 trillion target date assets as of June 30, 20241

What’s next?

Cost-efficient target date collective investment trusts (CITs) continue to gain market share over mutual funds, and demand is increasing for active/passive blends.

• 51% of target date assets are in CITs1
• 12% three-year compounded annual growth in assets for blend versus 10% for passive and 4% for active2

What to keep an eye on

Managed accounts appear poised for future growth, especially as participants near retirement and seek customized solutions that can incorporate individual financial circumstances.

Retirement income universe expands, plan adoption on the horizon

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What’s happened?

The SECURE Acts of 2019 and 2022 spurred the creation of innovative retirement income products to support retirees who stay in plan.

What’s next?

More plan sponsors are taking a stance on retirement income.3

• 68% drop in plan sponsors with no stated opinion on in-plan solutions (from 59% in 2021 to 19% in 2024)
• 125% increase in plan sponsors offering or planning to add in-plan solutions (from 8% in 2021 to 18% in 2024)

What to keep an eye on

Diverse solutions demand careful evaluation. Industry professionals can help plan sponsors analyze and evaluate options to find the best fit for their participants.

A new era for emergency savings after SECURE 2.0

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What’s happened?

SECURE 2.0 introduced new provisions for emergency savings, a key element of financial wellness.

What’s next?

Emergency savings solutions are expected to gain traction over the next three to five years. Among advisors and consultants:3

• 70% of advisors and consultants anticipate a rise in in‑plan solutions
• 52% expect an increase in out‑of‑plan solutions

What to keep an eye on

With SECURE 2.0, plan sponsors have new opportunities and new incentives to enhance workplace emergency savings and help support employees' financial well-being.

Policies evolve to support growing needs of plans and participants

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What we're watching

Evolution of Target Date Solutions and QDIAs

Qualified default investment alternatives, target date solutions, collective investment trusts, and managed accounts are transforming retirement investing in defined contribution plans.

Wyatt Lee, CFA®
Head of Target Date Strategies

Kathryn Farrell, CFA®
Target Date Portfolio Specialist

Retirement Income Universe Expands, Plan Adoption on the Horizon

As the industry creates new and innovative retirement income products, more plan sponsors are moving from gathering information to making decisions on which solutions to adopt.

Jessica Sclafani, CAIA®
Global Retirement Strategist

A New Era for Emergency Savings After SECURE 2.0

The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 expanded the landscape of potential solutions for emergency savings by introducing new opportunities and incentives for employers within their retirement plans.

Rachel Weker
Senior Retirement Strategist

Important Information

1Total assets includes both mutual funds and CITs as of June 30, 2024 (Morningstar). Percentages in CITs represent CIT assets only. CITs are institutional investment vehicles designed for qualified retirement plans.

2Sway Research, as of December 31, 2023.

3T. Rowe Price 2024 Defined Contribution Consultant Study. This study included 48 questions and was conducted from January 12, 2024, through March 4, 2024. Responses are from 35 consulting and advisor firms with over 134,000 plan sponsor clients and more than $7.5 trillion in assets under administration.

202501-4140908

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GIPS® Information

T. Rowe Price ("TRP") claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) and has prepared and presented this report in compliance with the GIPS standards. T. Rowe Price has been independently verified for the 27-year period ended June 30, 2023, by KPMG LLP. The verification report is available upon request. A firm that claims compliance with the GIPS standards must establish policies and procedures for complying with all the applicable requirements of the GIPS standards. Verification provides assurance on whether the firm’s policies and procedures related to composite and pooled fund maintenance, as well as the calculation, presentation, and distribution of performance, have been designed in compliance with the GIPS standards and have been implemented on a firm-wide basis. Verification does not provide assurance on the accuracy of any specific performance report.

TRP is a U.S. investment management firm with various investment advisers registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, and other regulatory bodies in various countries and holds itself out as such to potential clients for GIPS purposes. TRP further defines itself under GIPS as a discretionary investment manager providing services primarily to institutional clients with regard to various mandates, which include U.S, international, and global strategies but excluding the services of the Private Asset Management group.

A complete list and description of all of the Firm's composites and/or a presentation that adheres to the GIPS® standards are available upon request. Additional information regarding the firm's policies and procedures for calculating and reporting performance results is available upon request

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